A newer version of this visualization is available.
Annual Arctic Sea Ice Minimum 1979-2017 (SSMI data)
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- Visualizations by:
- Lori Perkins
- View full credits
Satellite-based passive microwave images of the sea ice have provided a reliable tool for continuously monitoring changes in the Arctic ice since 1979. Every summer the Arctic ice cap melts down to what scientists call its "minimum" before colder weather begins to cause ice cover to increase. This graph displays the area of the minimum sea ice coverage each year from 1979 through 2017. In 2017, the Arctic minimum sea ice covered an area of 4.17 million square kilometers.
This visualization shows the expanse of the annual minimum Arctic sea ice for each year from 1979 through 2017 as derived from passive microwave data.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
The Blue Marble data is courtesy of Reto Stockli (NASA/GSFC).
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Data visualizer
- Lori Perkins (NASA/GSFC) [Lead]
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Visualizers
- Cindy Starr (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
- Helen-Nicole Kostis (USRA)
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Scientists
- Josefino Comiso (NASA/GSFC)
- Walt Meier (NASA/GSFC)
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Project support
- Eric Sokolowsky (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
- Joycelyn Thomson Jones (NASA/GSFC)
- Leann Johnson (Global Science and Technology, Inc.)
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Technical support
- Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
- Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.)
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Sr. data analyst
- Robert Gersten (SGT)
Series
This visualization can be found in the following series:Datasets used in this visualization
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Comiso's September Minimum Sea Ice Concentration
ID: 540
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.
Related Pages
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ID: 4867 Visualization
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ID: 4786 Visualization
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ID: 4573 Visualization
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ID: 4435 Visualization
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ID: 4301 Visualization
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ID: 4131 Visualization
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ID: 3893 Visualization
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ID: 3802 Visualization
Sea Ice Yearly Minimum 1979-2010 (SSMI data)
Read moreThe continued significant reduction in the extent of the summer sea ice cover is a dramatic illustration of the pronounced impact increased global temperatures are having on the Arctic regions. There has also been a significant reduction in the relative amount of older, thicker ice. Satellite-based passive microwave images of the sea ice cover have provided a reliable tool for continuously monitoring changes in the extent of the Arctic ice cover since 1979. The ice parameters derived from satellite ice concentration data that are most relevant to climate change studies are sea ice extent and ice area. This visualization shows ice extent in the background and ice area in the foreground. Ice extent is defined here as the integrated sum of the areas of data elements (pixels) with at least 15% ice concentration while ice area is the integrated sum of the products of the area of each pixel and the corresponding ice concentration. Ice extent provides information about how far south (or north) the ice extends in winter and how far north (or south) it retreats toward the continent in the summer while the ice area provides the total area actually covered by sea ice which is useful for estimating the total volume and therefore mass, given the average ice thickness. For more information about these ice datasets, see The Journal of Geophysical Research VOL. 113, C02S07, doi:10.1029/2007JC004257, 2008 In 2007, Arctic summer sea ice reached its lowest extent on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. At the end of each summer, the sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent and what is left is what is called the perennial ice cover which consists mainly of thick multi-year ice flows. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade.This visualization shows the annual Arctic sea ice minimum from 1979 to 2010. A graph is overlaid that shows the area in million square kilometers for each year's minimum day. The 1979, 2007, and 2010 data points are highlighted on the graph. ||
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ID: 3563 Visualization
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Read moreThe continued significant reduction in the extent of the summer sea ice cover is a dramatic illustration of the pronounced impact increased global temperatures are having on the Arctic regions. There has also been a significant reduction in the relative amount of older, thicker ice. Satellite-based passive microwave images of the sea ice cover have provided a reliable tool for continuously monitoring changes in the extent of the Arctic ice cover since 1979. The ice parameters derived from satellite ice concentration data that are most relevant to climate change studies are sea ice extent and ice area. This visualization shows ice extent in the background and ice area in the foreground. Ice extent is defined here as the integrated sum of the areas of data elements (pixels) with at least 15% ice concentration while ice area is the integrated sum of the products of the area of each pixel and the corresponding ice concentration. Ice extent provides information about how far south (or north) the ice extends in winter and how far north (or south) it retreats toward the continent in the summer while the ice area provides the total area actually covered by sea ice which is useful for estimating the total volume and therefore mass, given the average ice thickness. For more information about these ice datasets, see The Journal of Geophysical Research VOL. 113, C02S07, doi:10.1029/2007JC004257, 2008 ||
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ID: 3464 Visualization
Sea Ice Yearly Minimum 1979-2007
Read moreIn 2007, Arctic summer sea ice reached its lowest extent on record - nearly 25% less than the previous low set in 2005. At the end of each summer, the sea ice cover reaches its minimum extent and what is left is what is called the perennial ice cover which consists mainly of thick multi-year ice floes. The area of the perennial ice has been steadily decreasing since the satellite record began in 1979, at a rate of about 10% per decade. But the 2007 minimum, reached on September 14, is far below the previous record made in 2005 and is about 38% lower than the climatological average. Such a dramatic loss has implications for ecology, climate and industry as new shipping lanes open.This visualization shows the annual Arctic sea ice minimum from 1979 to 2007. A graph is overlaid that shows the area in million square kilometers for each year's minimum day. The previous record and the 2007 record are highlighted. ||
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ID: 5162 Visualization
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ID: 5030 Visualization
Arctic Sea Ice Minimum 2022
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