Arctic Ice Is On Track to Reach its Lowest Level in History

It ’s been a hot year in the Arctic , withsea ice melt down originally and fasterthanever before . New data show that May saw its lowest - ever ocean ice extent , by a important margin . Which means it ’s very likely that by the height of summer , Arctic sea shabu will be at its lowest levels ever record .

Climate Central reportsonNational Snow and Ice Data Center datareleased today that tracks the Arctic Sea ’s “ chicken feed extent , ” meaning the area of the sea that is covered in at least 15 percent sea ice . Not only is May ’s sea ice extent way , way lower than it should be , it ’s also the fourth - lowest recorded degree in story . The book low that ’s this summer ’s issue to beat was set in June of 2012 .

If that chart is n’t terrifying enough , it ’s also easy to see just how bad things are in this NASA prototype of the Beaufort Sea , near the North Pole .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

Not only can you see much more open water than you should this meter of yr , you could also see another trend that ’s worry researcher . That unintelligible snowy methamphetamine hydrochloride is “ multiyear ice , ” which is like a sea - methamphetamine glacier that does n’t dissolve over the summertime and aid keep local sea temps down . The problem is that more multiyear ice is breaking up and melting , imply more of next season ’s deoxyephedrine will be “ first - yr ice , ” dethaw too quickly to aid keep the ocean sang-froid .

El Niño might have fueled certain loony weather trends like a heating wave in December that broughtabove - freeze out temperaturesto the North Pole , but the grounds is now fairly obvious : The region is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet — which is already thewarmest it ’s ever been . The Arctic is now truly on lean ice .

[ NSIDCviaClimate Central ]

William Duplessie