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It's the new normal for Arctic sea ice.

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The sea ice pack on the top of the world is nearing its summer minimum. 

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And while it probably won’t set a new record this year, 

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summer ice still covers much less ocean than decades ago.

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[ice crunching]

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The ice is also thinner and younger on average.

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For the first time this summer, NASA’s Operation IceBridge flew a series of flights over the ice,

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measuring the thickness of the ice and the depth of melt ponds on the ice surface.

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Combining this data with satellite observations will help researchers model the future of Arctic sea ice.

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