Arctic sea ice reaches a record low

On 16 September 2012 the extent of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean fell to 3.41 million square kilometres, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, the lowest in the satellite record that began in 1979, 18 per cent below the previous record of 2007 and about half of the average of the 1979 to 2000 summers. A strong storm in August helped break up the thin ice, but the long-term decline, of about 13 per cent per decade, is driven by global warming, which is amplified in the Arctic. Since then, the ice has remained low. Loss of ice opens up shipping routes and threatens polar bears, walrus and the way of life of indigenous peoples.

Open on the timeline