Arctic Melting (June 2014): Arctic sea ice extent continues its seasonal decline (-3.6% per decade)

According to the National Snow Data Center, Arctic extent continues to be under the average of the last 30 years. In June 2014, it averaged 11.31 million square kilometers (4.37 million square miles). This is 580,000 square kilometers (224,000 square miles) below the 1981 to 2010 average for the month.

 

Ice extent during June declined by an average of 78,900 square kilometers (30,500 square miles) per day, faster than the 1981 to 2010 average June rate of 57,200 square kilometers (22,100 square miles) per day. Last March’s relatively low maximum extent helped set the stage for June’s low extent.

 

June 2014 is the 6th lowest Arctic sea ice extent in the satellite record, 490,000 square kilometers (189,000 square miles) above the previous record low in June 2010. The monthly linear rate of decline for June is 3.6% per decade.

Average ice extent for March 2014 was the fifth lowest for the month in the satellite record. Through 2014, the linear rate of decline for March ice extent is 2.6% per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average.

 

 

Source: NSIDC

 

 

LTEconomy, 11 April 2014

 

 

From NSIDC, Aprile 2014