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This summer, Arctic sea ice decreased to a its minimum extent on September 11, 2024. 

7th lowest in the satellite record.

The decline continues the long-term trend of shrinking ice cover in the Arctic Ocean. 

Each year, Arctic sea ice melts and refreezes with seasonal changes. 

For 46 years, satellites have been monitoring changes in Arctic sea ice. 

This long-term data has helped scientists understand how polar environments respond to rising temperatures and extended melting seasons. 

This year, Arctic sea ice shrank to a minimum extent of 1.65 million square miles (4.28 million square kilometers). 

That’s about 750,000 square miles (1.94 million square kilometers) below the 1981 to 2010 end-of-summer average. 

The difference in ice cover extends over an area larger than Alaska. 

Sea ice is not only shrinking, but getting younger. 

In recent years, most of the Arctic Ocean has been covered by thinner, first-year ice that is less likely to survive the warmer months. 

Meanwhile, Antarctic sea ice is approaching its maximum extent for the year, with some time still remaining in the growth season. 

Ice around the continent is on track to be around 6.6 million square miles (17.09 million square kilometers). 

This means that the Southern Ocean's sea ice maximum extent is below the average recorded value from 1981 to 2010 by an area nearly three times the size of Texas. 
 

Sea ice growth appears low around nearly the whole continent. 

These recurring low growth seasons, starting in 2016, hint at a long-term shift in conditions in the Southern Ocean, likely resulting from a changing climate. 

Sea ice plays a crucial role in Earth’s interconnected system. 

It serves as a vital natural air conditioner, regulating the planet's climate and weather patterns.