{"id":394316,"date":"2026-03-27T03:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T17:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/uncategorized\/arctic-winter-sea-ice-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T03:00:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T17:00:55","slug":"arctic-winter-sea-ice-ties-record-low-nasa-nsidc-scientists-find","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=394316","title":{"rendered":"Arctic Winter Sea Ice Ties Record Low, NASA, NSIDC Scientists Find"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"width-full maxw-full margin-left-auto margin-right-auto hds-media-align-inline hds-module wp-block-nasa-blocks-video\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper width-full maxw-full flex-column\">\n<div class=\"hds-video-container width-full embed-container\" style=\"\"><video title=\"arctic-sea-ice-2026-mx-2160p60\" id=\"nasa-plus-tgWxR\" class=\"video-js video-player vjs-fluid width-full\" data-setup='{\"controls\":true,\"preload\":\"auto\",\"plugins\":{\"mux\":{\"debug\":false,\"data\":{\"env_key\":\"91nns8oppqdfqc44lgo4b1gni\",\"player_name\":\"www.nasa.gov Player\",\"video_name\":\"arctic-sea-ice-2026-mx-2160p60\"}}}}'  ><source src=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/arctic-sea-ice-2026-mx-2160p60.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\"  rel=\"noopener\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-media-caption hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">\n<div>After growing through the fall and winter, sea ice in the Arctic reached its annual maximum extent on March 15, 2026, peaking at coverage area of 5.52 million square miles (14.29 million square kilometers).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">\n<div>Trent Schindler\/NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>For the second consecutive year, winter sea ice in the Arctic reached a level that matches the lowest peak observed since satellite monitoring began in 1979. On March 15, Arctic sea ice extent reached 5.52 million square miles (14.29 million square kilometers), very close to the 2025 peak of 5.53 million square miles (14.31 million square kilometers). Scientists with NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, note that the two years are statistically tied.<\/p>\n<p>Along with the overall extent, researchers are also observing changes in ice thickness. \u201cBased on what we\u2019re seeing with NASA\u2019s ICESat-2 satellite, much of the ice in the Arctic is thinner this year, especially in the Barents Sea northeast of Greenland.,\u201d said Nathan Kurtz, chief of the Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. \u201cThe Sea of Okhotsk that borders northern Japan and Russia also had relatively low ice this year \u2014 a region that naturally experiences significant year-to-year variability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scientists with NASA and NSIDC found that this winter\u2019s peak Arctic ice coverage continues the long-term trend observed over the past several decades. This year, peak ice cover was below the average levels between 1981 and 2010 by roughly half a million square miles (about 1.3 million square kilometers).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sea ice extent is defined as the total area of the ocean with at least 15% ice concentration. The area of the Arctic Ocean covered in ice <a href=\"https:\/\/nsidc.org\/sea-ice-today\/sea-ice-tools\/charctic-interactive-sea-ice-graph\" rel=\"noopener\">expands in the cold of winter<\/a>. Although much of the sea ice melts in warmer months, some ice remains throughout the year. Recently, less new ice has been forming. As a result, less multi-year ice has accumulated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA low year or two don\u2019t necessarily mean much by themselves,\u201d said NSIDC ice scientist Walt Meier. But viewed within the long\u2011term downward trend since 1979, Meier added, they add to the overall picture of change in Arctic sea ice throughout the seasons.<\/p>\n<p>In the Antarctic, summer sea ice reached an annual low of 996,000 square miles (2.58 million square kilometers) on Feb. 26. This year\u2019s coverage represents an increase compared to the unusually low levels of the past four years. Although 100,000 square miles (260,000 square kilometers) lower than the 1981\u20132010 average, the Antarctic sea ice minimum was well above the record low set on Feb. 21, 2023, of 691,000 square miles (1.79 million square kilometers).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Scientists at NSIDC previously tracked sea ice extent primarily using satellites in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncei.noaa.gov\/products\/satellite\/defense-meteorological-satellite-program\" rel=\"noopener\">Defense Meteorological Satellite Program<\/a>. In recent years, the NSIDC has relied on JAXA\u2019s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) <a href=\"https:\/\/nsidc.org\/data\/nsidc-0803\/versions\/2\" rel=\"noopener\">Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2<\/a> for real-time sea ice data. Researchers also compare ice coverage to historical sources, such as the data collected between 1978 and 1985 with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earthdata.nasa.gov\/data\/platforms\/space-based-platforms\/nimbus-7\" rel=\"noopener\">Nimbus-7<\/a> satellite that was jointly operated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>By\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:james.r.riordon@nasa.gov\">James Riordon<\/a><\/strong><\/em><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Media contact:\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov\">Elizabeth Vlock<\/a><br \/>NASA Headquarters, Washington<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 hds-module hds-module-full alignfull wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-articles\">\n<section class=\"hds-related-articles padding-x-0 padding-y-3 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n<div class=\"w-100 grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0 text-align-left\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-4\">\n<h2 style=\"max-width: 100%;\" class=\"width-full w-full maxw-full\">Explore More<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/earth\/earth-observatory\/antarctic-sea-ice-plunged-in-summer-2025-154112\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/imagerecords\/154000\/154112\/antarctic_nsidc_20250301.jpg?w=720&#038;h=545&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"eager\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/imagerecords\/154000\/154112\/antarctic_nsidc_20250301.jpg?w=720&#038;h=545&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 720w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/imagerecords\/154000\/154112\/antarctic_nsidc_20250301.jpg?w=300&#038;h=227&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 300w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/imagerecords\/154000\/154112\/antarctic_nsidc_20250301.jpg?w=400&#038;h=303&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 400w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/imagerecords\/154000\/154112\/antarctic_nsidc_20250301.jpg?w=600&#038;h=454&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">3 min read<\/div>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\">\n<h3 class=\"related-article-title\">Antarctic Sea Ice Plunged in Summer 2025<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">The region\u2019s ice extent on March 1 tied for the second-lowest minimum observed in the\u2026<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t12 months ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/arctic-sea-ice-2025-low\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300px\" height=\"300px\" data-no-id=\"true\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sea-ice-2025-9-10-2025.png 300w\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sea-ice-2025-9-10-2025.png\" ><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">4 min read<\/div>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\">\n<h3 class=\"related-article-title\">Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Annual Low<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">With the end of summer approaching in the Northern Hemisphere, the extent of sea ice\u2026<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t6 months ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/earth\/10-things-to-know-about-icesat-2-nasas-latest-space-laser\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/content\/dam\/science\/psd\/solar\/internal_resources\/1941\/ICESat-2_in_cleanroom.gif?w=550&#038;h=309&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">4 min read<\/div>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\">\n<h3 class=\"related-article-title\">10 Things to Know About ICESat-2, NASA\u2019s Latest Space Laser<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">Did somebody say space laser? NASA is set to launch ICESat-2, our most advanced laser\u2026<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t8 years ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the second consecutive year, winter sea ice in the Arctic reached a level that matches the lowest peak observed since satellite monitoring began in 1979. On March 15, Arctic sea ice extent reached 5.52 million square miles (14.29 million square kilometers), very close to the 2025 peak of 5.53 million square miles (14.31 million [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3909,15644,18178],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-394316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate-change","category-earth","category-icesat-2-ice-cloud-and-land-elevation-satellite-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=394316"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":394950,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394316\/revisions\/394950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=394316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=394316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=394316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}