A Brief Slowdown in Arctic Sea Ice Melting

This image shows the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice for 2009 as observed by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E), a Japanese sensor flying on NASA’s Aqua satellite.

The accelerated melting of the Arctic sea ice of recent years slowed somewhat this summer, with 2009 ranking as the third-largest melt on record.

The sea ice normally reaches its minimum extent in mid-September before the waning summer sun allows the melted waters to refreeze.

The minimum coverage probably occurred on September 12, according to analysis of satellite data.

Arctic temperatures were relatively cool over the summer and wind patterns tended to disperse the ice pack over a larger region, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

While the extent of the ice is greater this year than during the last two summers, scientists at the center do not consider this to be a recovery.

They say the long-term decline in summer sea ice extent will continue as the region warms further due to climate change.

Sea ice in the Arctic is now dominated by younger, thinner ice, which is vulnerable to melting.

Photo: U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center