This chart shows more than 30 years of Arctic sea ice cover
March is the month where arctic sea is typically reaches its maximum extent. Image: Unsplash/ Lorenzo Castagnone
- Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows how Arctic sea ice cover has changed from 1979-2001.
- It shows an overall downward trajectory over that period.
While the extent of sea ice covering the arctic varies every year depending on the weather, a general downward trend becomes visible when examining data on the extent of arctic sea ice in March since 1979. This is an effect of global climate change, which sees average and mean temperatures rise across the Earth, leading to decreasing extents and thickness of the ice covers around the poles.
March is the month where arctic sea is typically reaches its maximum extent, which is why it is referenced frequently in scientific studies and record-keeping, like the data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used in the graphic.
Just like the arctic sea is, ice cover in the Antarctic is also decreasing on average. The same is true for snow cover on the poles, which has been decreasing on average since 1967, a trend that has been speeding up recently.
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Stay up to date:
Arctic
Related topics:
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
More on Nature and BiodiversitySee all
Aditi Mishra and Ar. Sachin Uniyal
October 31, 2024