In September of this year, the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice reached approximately 4.6 million square kilometers (1.78 million square miles). This ties with 2008, 2010, and 2025 for the tenth-lowest minimum recorded since satellite tracking began.
Sea-news.az reports citing “ScienceDaily”, data from NASA and the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) indicates that the annual minimum occurred on September 12. Continuous satellite records since 1978 demonstrate a clear long-term decline in polar ice coverage. While the all-time low was documented in September 2012, researchers emphasize a significant structural shift as thick multiyear ice is increasingly replaced by thinner, first-year ice that melts more easily. Scientific projections suggest the Arctic Ocean could experience its first essentially ice-free summer before the middle of the 21st century.
