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Arctic Sea Ice Extent through 2011
This full-year graph puts 2011 sea ice extent in context. The gray line shows the 1979 to 2000 climatology, thick blue-gray indicates the 1981 to 2010 (30-year) climatology. NOAA this year switched to using the period 1981 to 2010 for their thirty-year climate comparison period
2011 year in review
Arctic sea ice extent fell to its seasonal minimum on September 9, 2011, falling just short of the record low set in September 2007, when summer weather conditions were extremely favorable for ice loss. This summer, the weather was not as extreme as 2007, so it was surprising that ice extent dropped so low. The low ice extent, along with data on ice age, suggests that the Arctic ice cover remains thin and vulnerable to summer melt.
Northern Hemisphere snow cover retreated very rapidly last spring, with record and near-record low snow cover extents in May and June despite higher-than-average winter snow extent as of February and March.
Read More: nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2012/01/05/positively-arctic-a...
Arctic Sea Ice Extent through 2011
This full-year graph puts 2011 sea ice extent in context. The gray line shows the 1979 to 2000 climatology, thick blue-gray indicates the 1981 to 2010 (30-year) climatology. NOAA this year switched to using the period 1981 to 2010 for their thirty-year climate comparison period
2011 year in review
Arctic sea ice extent fell to its seasonal minimum on September 9, 2011, falling just short of the record low set in September 2007, when summer weather conditions were extremely favorable for ice loss. This summer, the weather was not as extreme as 2007, so it was surprising that ice extent dropped so low. The low ice extent, along with data on ice age, suggests that the Arctic ice cover remains thin and vulnerable to summer melt.
Northern Hemisphere snow cover retreated very rapidly last spring, with record and near-record low snow cover extents in May and June despite higher-than-average winter snow extent as of February and March.
Read More: nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2012/01/05/positively-arctic-a...