December’s Arctic sea ice third lowest on record

Throughout the month of December, Arctic sea ice averaged 12.38 million square kilometers, reports the national Snow and Ice Data Centre, making it the third lowest on record since the centre’s satellite began to capture ice data in 1979. (NSIDC IMAGE)

The Arctic sea ice extent in December 2011 was the third lowest on record, says the University of Colorado’s National Snow and Ice Data Centre.

The sea ice extent — which describes how much the Arctic Ocean is covered by ice — remained unusually low through December, especially on the Atlantic side of the Arctic.

The eastern coast of Hudson Bay did not freeze entirely until late in the month, while the bay is normally completely frozen over by the beginning of December.

In the Bering Sea, ice extent was slightly above average. But for the Arctic as a whole, ice extent for the month remained far below average.

Throughout the month, Arctic sea ice averaged 12.38 million square kilometers, making it the third lowest on record since the centre’s satellite began to capture ice data in 1979.

December, 2010 was the lowest on the satellite’s record.

In contrast to the past two winters, the NSIDC says the winter of 2011 has so far seen a positive phase of the Arctic oscillation, a weather pattern that helps to explain low snow cover extent and warmer than average conditions over much of the United States and Eastern Europe.

Overall, the Arctic gained 2.37 million square kilometers of ice during the month of December. By Dec. 31, the sea ice extent was 13.25 million square kilometres.

The NSIDC is a research institute based out of the University of Colorado, sponsored in part by NASA.