Arctic sea ice reaches 4th lowest minimum

The National Snow and Ice Data Center says Arctic sea ice reached its likely minimum extent for 2015 on Sept. 11. That minimum ice extent was the fourth lowest in the satellite record, NSIDC said, but noted this is a preliminary announcement and changing winds or late-season melt could reduce the Arctic ice extent, which happened in 2005 and 2010.

The 1.7 million square miles of sea ice recorded Sept. 11 appears to be the lowest extent of the year, NSIDC said, with sea ice extent now beginning to climb through autumn and winter due to the setting sun and falling temperatures.

The average minimum extent, 1981 through 2010, averaged Sept. 15. 2012 saw the lowest extent, 2007 the second lowest and 2011 the third lowest, with the nine lowest extents of the satellite era occurring in the last nine years, NSIDC said.

- Petroleum News