Arctic Sea Ice
These maps reveal the maximum extent of Arctic Sea Ice. The ‘extent’ is the total area in which ice concentration is at least 15 percent. Every year, the Arctic sea ice melts during the spring and summer and grows in the fall and winter. The maximum extent occurs between February and April.
In 1983, the maximum extent was about 15.46 million square kilometers (5.96 million square miles). In 2016, it was 14.52 million square kilometers (5.607 million square miles), making it the smallest maximum extent since satellite measurements started in 1979.
Jesse Allen, using data from the GCOM-W1 satellite and the Nimbus-7 satellite.
Image Number: WEB15642-2016
Jesse Allen, using data from the GCOM-W1 satellite and the Nimbus-7 satellite
