Arctic sea ice winter peak in 2021 is joint-seventh lowest on record

Apr 13, 2021

This year’s winter maximum extent is 870,000km2 smaller than the 1981-2010 average. Image: Unsplash/Cassie Matias

Ayesha Tandon

Science Journalist, Carbon Brief

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Arctic sea ice extent as of 29 March 2020 for the 2020-21 summer (blue line), along with daily ice extent data for the four previous years: 2011-2012 (green) and the 1981-2010 median (dark grey) and the grey shading shows the range around the median.

The extent of Arctic sea ice. Image: NSIDC

Average Arctic sea ice extent for March 2021. The orange line shows the 1981-2010 average extent for that month. Image: NSIDC

Average Arctic sea ice extent over the summer minimum for each decade of the satellite era (dotted lines) and for 2020 (red line). Individual years also shown. Image: Chart by Dr Zack Labe using data from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Average Arctic sea ice extent for October 2020. The pink line shows the 1981-2010 average extent for that month. Credit: NSIDC

Average Arctic sea ice extent for October 2020. The pink line shows the 1981-2010 average extent for that month. Image: NSIDC

Arctic sea ice extent for each decade of the satellite era (dotted lines). Specific years are shown by the moving lines – 2007 (pink), 2012 (white), 2020 (blue) and 2021 so far (red). Image: Chart by Dr Zack Labe using data from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

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