Very little old sea ice remains in the Arctic
Running time: 1 min
Sea ice age from 1987 through end of October 2013. Age class 1 means “first-year ice,” which is ice that formed in the most recent winter. The oldest ice (9+) is ice that is more than 9 years old. Animation by NOAA climate.gov, based on research data provided by Mark Tschudi, CCAR, University of Colorado, with funding from NASA.
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All seven of the smallest September (summer minimum) ice extents in the satellite record have occurred in the last seven years, part of the evidence of the decades-long trend in Arctic warming. But surface area isn’t the only quality of the ice that is changing. Wind and ocean circulation patterns are conspiring with a warmer climate to reduce the amount of year-round (multi-year) ice, transforming the remaining ice into a younger, thinner version of its old self.