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The Arctic Ocean is the mass of water positioned approximately above latitude 65° N. Arctic Sea Ice refers to the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice. The Arctic sea ice minimum is the day in a given year when Arctic sea ice reaches its smallest extent, occurring at the end of the summer melting season, normally during September.
In September 2020, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that the Arctic sea ice in 2020 had melted to an extent of 3.74 million km 2, its second-smallest extent since records began in 1979. Earth lost 28 trillion tonnes of ice between 1994 and 2017, with Arctic sea ice accounting for 7.6 trillion tonnes of this loss.
As the sea ice cover shrinks and reflects less sunlight, the Arctic warms up to four times faster than the global average. Globally, the decades-long ice loss in the Arctic and the more recent decline of sea ice in Antarctica have had the same warming impact between 1992 and 2018 as 10% of all the greenhouse gases emitted over the same period.
The first sea ice-free September could occur as early as the 2030s, the study found. Arctic sea ice has been declining for decades but has shrunk at an even faster rate in the past 20 years.
Atlantification is the increasing influence of Atlantic water in the Arctic. Warmer and saltier Atlantic water is extending its reach northward into the Arctic Ocean. [2] The Arctic Ocean is becoming warmer and saltier and sea-ice is disappearing as a result. [3] The process can be seen on the figure on the far right, where the sea surface ...
The first ice-free days of the Arctic Ocean could occur as soon as the 2020s or 2030s — as many as 10 years earlier than previous projections.
The Arctic sea ice and its related biota are unique, and the year-round persistence of the ice has allowed the development of ice endemic species, meaning species not found anywhere else. There are differing scientific opinions about how long perennial sea ice has existed in the Arctic. Estimates range from 700,000 to 4 million years.
• The area of Arctic sea ice in summer 2019 was markedly reduced. It was reported the second lowest since satellite observations began in 1979. This has caused migration of Arctic fish to more northern waters. • The highest recorded ice loss from Greenland Ice Sheet.