Sea Ice Yearly Minimum 1979-2010 (SSMI data)

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.