The ice covering the Arctic is at near record lows this year, and this icy deficit may impact weather around the world, NASA reports.
Every March, the Arctic’s sea ice reaches its maximum cover, both in area and thickness, before it recedes to its yearly minimum in September. Live Science spoke with NASA scientist Walt Meier yesterday (March 25) to learn
more about the low sea-ice level and what it means for the rest of the planet.
“This year we’re seeing a real extremely warm winter,” Meier said. “Temperatures have been 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit [5.5 to 8.3 degrees Celsius] above normal [in the Arctic]. And we see that reflected in the very low sea-ice cover that generally grows to its maxima around this time of year.”
UPDATE: