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Very little old sea ice remains in the Arctic

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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.

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