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[Music] Narrator: Barring any late season surges, 

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we can now say that Arctic sea ice reached its peak extent for this 

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year’s freeze cycle on Feb. 25th. It’s the smallest winter 

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maximum coverage since we began consistently tracking the ice pack 

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with satellites in 1979, and the second earliest peak as well.

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Much of the winter ice pack consists of thin ice that will melt in the summer, 

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and scientists say that while this winter did set a new record, 

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trends in the summer minimum extent are more interesting scientifically and a better 

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indicator of climate change.Here we see in yellow 

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where the ice extent is low near the coasts of Russia and Alaska, or more precisely, 

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the difference between this year’s ice pack and the average maximum 

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coverage from the last 35 years.

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[music]