The Arctic's sea ice hit its second lowest extent on record for January this year, with the ice extent down 498,000 square miles (1.29 million square kilometres) compared to the 1981 to 2010 average (file photo).
However, the general trend has been for steadily declining sea ice levels since the 1980s] This follows a record low December when Arctic sea ice levels plummeted below the previous record thanks to delayed growth in Hudson Bay and in the Barents Sea.
Hotter areas are shown in red and yellow] That is 300,000 square miles lower than the average for January 2024, when Arctic ice covered 5.37 million square miles (13.92 million square kilometres) - the 20th lowest for the month.
Arctic sea ice is at its second lowest level on RECORD - missing an area 60 times the six of Wales, scientists warn With the hottest year in history just behind us, it is perhaps not surprising that the world's sea ice is in dire condition.
Using data gathered by satellite, NSIDC calculates that Arctic sea ice covered an average of 5.07 million square miles (13.13 million square kilometres) last month.
