Arctic sea ice hits record winter low 

Arctic sea ice reached its annual maximum extent on March 22, the lowest level in the 47-year satellite record and 80,000 sq km smaller than the previous lowest in 2017

ARCTIC SEA ICE
Since satellite monitoring began in 1979


Median ice edge 1981 - 2010
Mar 2025

Sea of Okhotsk
Sea ice 2025 14.33m sq km

ARCTIC CIRCLE
RUSSIA
North Pole
Alaska U.S.
CANADA
Greenland 
DENMARK
    
1981-2025
15.64m sq km

Gulf of St. Lawrence Virtually ice free

Million sq km
ANNUAL SEA ICE EXTENT 1979-2025

15 10 5 0

J F M A M J J A S O N D

2025: 14.33 million sq km
WINTER 
SUMMER

Sources: National Snow and Ice Data Centre, NASA
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