The Arctic's near-record sea ice low – big picture

By early September, the area covered by sea ice in the Arctic Ocean was approaching a record low. On September 9, sea ice covered 4.33 million square kilometers (1.67 million square miles), US National Snow and Ice Data Center reported. The 2011 low is 2.38 million square kilometers (919,000 square miles) below the average minimum extent measured between 1979 and 2000. Late season melt or a shift in wind patterns could still decrease the sea ice extent before the winter freeze-up begins. Photograph: AMSR-E/Aqua/NASA Illustration: AMSR-E/Aqua/NASA