The Arctic maximum was
14.33 million square kilometers.
That is the lowest maximum
we have in our records
that goes back to 1979.
The Arctic maximum
represents the end of the winter ice growth seasons.
So the record low maximum
that we see there this year indicates
a warming climate where the ice is not growing
as much as we normally would see
and it continues the downward trend
in the Arctic sea ice.
The Antarctic sea ice reached
an annual minimum extent of
1.98 million square kilometers.
This was the second lowest extent
in our satellite record.
With the Arctic sea ice reaching its lowest maximum
and the Antarctic reaching its second-lowest minimum,
the global sea ice extent
reached a record low in our satellite record.
The Arctic and Antarctic
both being very low for their time of year
is yet another indication of
the long term changes in climate that we’re seeing globally,
but are particularly
showing up and showing up faster and earlier
in the polar regions.