September 20, 2011
Graph of the Day: Arctic Sea Ice Extent, 1870-2008
By Tamino
17 September 2011 […] One of the best long-term (on a century time scale) estimates of Arctic sea ice is the Walsh & Chapman data set (described in Walsh & Chapman 2001, Annals of Glaciology, 33, 444-448). It’s based on a vast array of available information, as described in Walsh & Chapman. […] It shows variations throughout the last century and more, but the dramatic decline (due to global warming) doesn’t start until the latter half of the century, about 1960. And the decline has accelerated, becoming far more dramatic, since about the year 2000, leading to annual average sea ice loss of around three million square kilometers. Imagine that. […]