2014 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum Sixth Lowest on Record
 
Sept. 22, 2014: Arctic sea ice coverage continued its below-average trend this
year as the ice declined to its annual minimum on Sept. 17, according to the
NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of
Colorado, Boulder.
 
"Arctic sea ice coverage in 2014 is the sixth lowest recorded since 1978,"
said Walter Meier, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
in Greenbelt, Maryland.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-8Vh4D3IjE
 
An animation of daily Arctic sea ice extent from March 21 to Sept. 17 - when
the ice appeared to reach it's minimum extent for the year. It's the sixth
lowest minimum sea ice extent in the satellite era. The data was provided by
the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
 
Over the 2014 summer, Arctic sea ice melted back from its maximum extent
reached in March to a coverage area of 1.94 million square miles (5.02 million
square kilometers), according to analysis from NASA and NSIDC scientists. This
year's minimum extent is similar to last year's and below the 1981-2010
average of 2.40 million square miles (6.22 million square km).
 
"The summer started off relatively cool, and lacked the big storms or
persistent winds that can break up ice and increase melting," said Meier.
Nevertheless, the season ended with below-average sea ice. "Even with a
relatively cool year, the ice is so much thinner than it used to be. It is
more susceptible to melting," he explained.
 
This summer, the Northwest Passage above Canada and Alaska remained ice-bound.
A finger of open water stretched north of Siberia in the Laptev Sea, reaching
beyond 85 degrees north, which is the farthest north open ocean has reached
since the late 1970s, according to Meier.
 
While summer sea ice has covered more of the Arctic in the last two years than
in 2012's record low summer, this is not an indication that the Arctic is
returning to average conditions, Meier said. This year's minimum extent
remains in line with a downward trend; the Arctic Ocean is losing about 13
percent of its sea ice per decade.
 
To measure sea ice extent, scientists include areas that are at least 15
percent ice-covered. The NASA-developed computer analysis, which is one of
several methods scientists use to calculate extent, is based on data from
NASA's Nimbus 7 satellite, which operated from 1978 to 1987, and the U.S.
Department of Defense's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, which has
provided information since 1987.
 
In addition to monitoring sea ice from space, NASA is conducting airborne
field campaigns to track changes in Arctic sea ice and its impact on climate.
Operation IceBridge flights have been measuring Arctic sea ice and ice sheets
for the past several years during the spring. A new field experiment, the
Arctic Radiation - IceBridge Sea and Ice Experiment (ARISE) started this month
to explore the relationship between retreating sea ice and the Arctic climate.
 
For more information on sea ice observations from space, visit h
tp://nsidc.org/data/seaice/
 
Credits:
Production editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
 
More information:
 
NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of
satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA
develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems
with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our
planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global
community and works with institutions in the United States and around the
world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet.
 
For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, including
the Operation IceBridge and ARISE airborne campaigns, visit http
//www.nasa.gov/earthrightnow
 
 
Regards,
 
Roger

--- D'Bridge 3.99
 * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)