Arctic sea ice extent approaches maximum

As the Arctic sea ice extent increased in February toward its March winter maximum the average area of ice cover was the fourth lowest on record, as determined by satellite surveillance, the National Snow and Ice Data Center said March 3. The February average extent of 5.73 million square miles was 309,000 square miles less than the 1979 to 2000 average, NSIDC said.

An image of the polar region shows ice cover across the whole of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea and the northern part of the Bering Sea.

“A temporary decline in ice extent from Feb. 18 to 22 illustrates the sensitivity of Arctic sea ice extent to transient weather conditions,” NSIDC said. “Conditions along the southern boundary of the ice cover, such as in the Bering Sea, are typically just barely cold enough for ice to exist and ice there can quickly expand or retreat in response to changes in the temperature or winds.”

In fact, ups and downs in the ice extent are not unusual at this time of year, NIDC said.

—Alan Bailey