A fogbow over the thawing sea ice in the Arctic summer. Picture: Arctic Photo / Barcroft Media

According to the The National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC), satellite data taken from September this year indicates that Arctic sea ice is continuing a long-term decline. The report, published this week, shows how sea ice coverage was recorded at a summer low of 1.84 million square miles, indicating a continuing trend of decreasing summer sea ice around the North Pole. NSIDC Director Mark Serreze said, “All indications are that sea ice will continue to decline over the next several decades. We are still looking at a seasonally ice-free Arctic in twenty to thirty years.” Photographers Bryan and Cherry Alexander have been working in the Arctic for 39 years with their most recent trip being in July 2010. These images document their time spent in the Arctic and the changing face of the region in that time. … Over the summer of 2010 weather and ocean conditions in the Arctic ranged from warm and calm to stormy and cool. Weather conditions were not extremely favourable to melt, but ice loss proceeded at a rapid pace. …

Arctic sea ice decline: the changing face of a region in pictures