Maximum Arctic Sea Ice Extent below Average
16.04.2008 - Other
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has published information and analysis on the Arctic's sea ice extent on the "Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis" site. The April 7 entry offers information on the Arctic's maximum sea ice extent and details the ice's condition as the melt season approaches.
This year's maximum Arctic sea ice extent was slightly greater than that of recent years, although it was still well below average. Its 2008 maximum extent was reached March 10th, at 15.21 million km2.
The NSIDC site offers an analysis of this 2008 freeze-up. Because Arctic sea ice extent shrank significantly during the summer of 2007 (so much so in fact that it reached a record-setting minimum during the month of September), the large open-water areas were exposed to an above average amount of the sun's energy. The Arctic Ocean thus had to lose this heat before sea ice could start to form. Autumn freeze-up began later than usual, reaching its winter maximum extent in 2008 about a week later than usual. Once freeze-up began, the process continued very quickly.
Although strong ice grew over the past winter, it remains first-year ice that is most susceptible to meltdown during the warm summer months. Sea ice in the Arctic is still following a general pattern of decline. According the NSIDC site, natural variability in the atmospheric circulation could prevent last year's summer record from being broken, even though detailed analysis indicates that the September 2008 minimum extent will "almost certainly be well below average."
