Arctic Retreat
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- Written by:
- Kayvon Sharghi
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- Scientific consulting by:
- Josefino Comiso
- View full credits
Since 1979, satellites have continuously monitored the ice that covers the Arctic Ocean. This space-based view allows scientists to measure the extent of the sea ice and track year-round changes in its size. On September 13, 2013, Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent, covering 1.97 million square miles, or about half the total area of the United States. This is the sixth lowest extent on record, measuring 432,000 square miles less than the 30-year average calculated from 1981-2010. Sea ice forms in the Arctic when air and ocean temperatures are sufficiently cold for saltwater to freeze. As a result, growth takes place during the fall and winter months while melting occurs in spring and summer. Watch the video to see a visualization that shows changes to Arctic sea ice leading up to this year's minimum extent.
For More Information
See NASA.gov
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Sea ice images courtesy of NASA Worldview
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Animators
- Alex Kekesi (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
- Cindy Starr (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
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Writer
- Kayvon Sharghi (USRA) [Lead]
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Scientist
- Josefino Comiso (NASA/GSFC) [Lead]
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Producer
- Jefferson Beck (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
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ID: 4104 Visualization
2013 Daily Arctic Sea Ice from AMSR2: May - September 2013
Read moreThe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) provides many water-related products derived from data acquired by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) instrument aboard the Global Change Observation Mission 1st-Water "SHIZUKU" (GCOM-W1) satellite. Two JAXA datasets used in this animation are the 10-km daily sea ice concentration and the 10 km daily 89 GHz Brightness Temperature.In 2013, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) determined the Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum of 5.1 million square kilometers on September 13, 2013 using a 5-day trailing average. NASA scientists independently determined the Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent of 5.217 million square kilometers on September 12 using a 5-day running average. In this animation, the daily Arctic sea ice and seasonal land cover change progress through time, from May 16, 2013 through the minimum area of coverage for 2013. Two movies are provided: one stopping on September 12 and one that continues to September 13. Over the water, Arctic sea ice changes from day to day showing a running 3-day minimum sea ice concentration in the region where the concentration is greater than 15%. The blueish white colour of the sea ice is derived from a 3-day running minimum of the AMSR2 89 GHz brightness temperature. Over the land, monthly data from the seasonal Blue Marble Next Generation fades slowly from month to month. ||
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