ARCTIC SEA ICE

Data updated Oct 12, 2012

Average September Extent
Data Source: Satellite observations

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Arctic sea ice is now declining at a rate of 7.1 percent per decade, relative to the 1979 to 2000 average. Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum each September. The graph above shows the average monthly Arctic sea ice extent in September from 1979 to 2010, derived from satellite observations. The September 2010 extent was the third lowest in the satellite record.