Arctic sea ice at record low due to global warming

Arctic sea ice extent has been in rapid decline since satellite measurements were first available, declining roughly 10 percent every decade since 1979. While it is a cyclical process—ice grows during the winter months and shrinks during the summer months—there is an overall downward trend in the maximum and minimum extent.

According to NSIDC, the rate of melting this summer has been very rapid, declining up to 210,000 square kilometers per day in June and July, a rate unprecedented in the satellite record. Unusually clear sky conditions in June and July contributed a high amount of solar energy, accelerating the melting process.

Warmer temperatures caused by global warming have also been a significant factor. The Arctic has warmed an average of 1 to 2 degrees Celsius since a temperature minimum in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, warming in the Arctic has occurred more rapidly in recent decades, at a rate of about twice the global average.