Shrinking Ice
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- Visualizations by:
- Trent L. Schindler
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- Written by:
- Kayvon Sharghi
- View full credits
Arctic sea ice plays an important role in regulating Earth’s climate. The thickness and extent of the sea ice varies over the course of the year due to changes in the amount of incoming energy from the sun. Since the late 1970s, NASA has used satellites and aircraft to monitor the sea ice and create an ongoing record of its health. Observations in recent years show the sea ice is receding to alarmingly low levels during the summer melt season, the time when it reaches a yearly minimum extent. But that’s not all. According to scientists, the Arctic is also losing about 13 percent of its sea ice each decade. If the trend continues, the region could become free of ice in the summer by the end of the century. Watch the video to see the retreat of 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
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Animator
- Trent L. Schindler (USRA) [Lead]
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Writer
- Kayvon Sharghi (USRA) [Lead]
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Project support
- Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
- Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
Related Pages
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ID: 11654 Produced Video
Arctic Sea Ice Reaches 2014 Minimum Extent
Read moreSea ice acts as an air conditioner for the planet, reflecting energy from the Sun. On September 17, the Arctic Sea ice reached its minimum extent for 2014 — at 1.94 million square miles (5.02 million square kilometers), it’s the sixth lowest extent of the satellite record. With warmer temperatures and thinner, less resilient ice, the Arctic sea ice is on a downward trend.Here is the YouTube video. ||
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ID: 4215 Visualization
North Polar Sea Ice Minimum, 2014
Read moreSea ice acts as an air conditioner for the planet, reflecting energy from the Sun. On September 17, the Arctic Sea ice reached its minimum extent for 2014 — at 1.94 million square miles (5.02 million square kilometers), it’s the sixth lowest extent of the satellite record. With warmer temperatures and thinner, less resilient ice, the Arctic sea ice is on a downward trend. The red line in the still image indicates the average ice extent over the 30 year period between 1981 and 2011. ||
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