Record Low Ice Coverage

Now that the refreeze has begun in the Arctic—albeit at a slower rate than “normal” because of the large amount of open water—the record-breaking summer ice retreat can be compared graphically with the previous record set in 2005:

Comparative Ice Coverage

Those two plots are compared with that of the average from 1979-2000. An informative press release and the source of the above image from the National Snow and Ice Data Center is located here.