{"id":549379,"date":"2026-09-24T03:15:32","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/science-research\/earth-science\/climate-science\/sea-ice\/arctic-sea-ice-2026-min\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T03:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T17:15:32","slug":"arctic-sea-ice-reaches-2026-annual-minimum-extent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=549379","title":{"rendered":"Arctic Sea Ice Reaches 2026 Annual Minimum Extent"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><video class=\"hds-video-background \" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 57% 92%; object-position: 57% 92%; object-fit: cover;\" autoplay=\"true\" loop muted=\"true\" playsinline=\"true\" preload=\"metadata\"><source src=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/arctic-sea-ice-min-2026-2160p60.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\" \/><\/video><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Daily images of ice cover in the Arctic Ocean show sea ice melting around the pole from March 15, 2026 to Sept. 12, 2026.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">Trent Schindler\/NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on Sept. 12, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The ice covered an estimated 1.78 million square miles (4.6 million square kilometers), tying 2008, 2010, and 2025 for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/nsidc.org\/sea-ice-today\/analyses\/arctic-sea-ice-minimum-ties-tenth-lowest-0\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 minimum<\/a> is consistent with patterns observed in the satellite record. The past 20 years, from 2007 through 2026, have produced the 20 lowest annual Arctic sea ice minimum extents observed since continuous satellite measurements began in late 1978.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arctic sea ice grows during the dark, cold autumn and winter and retreats as temperatures rise during spring and summer, typically reaching its lowest extent in September. Weather conditions can cause substantial differences in the amount of ice that melts from one summer to another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the last decade, for example, increased cloud cover has prevented solar radiation from further accelerating the melt of sea ice, according to Linette Boisvert, a sea ice scientist at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That has contributed to relatively stable September sea ice extent in recent years. \u201cWe\u2019ve plateaued, but we\u2019re still low relative to the earlier part of the record,\u201d said Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at <a href=\"https:\/\/nsidc.org\/home\" rel=\"noopener\">NSIDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Antarctic sea ice extent approaches annual maximum<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the opposite end of the planet, Antarctic sea ice is approaching its annual maximum following a fluctuation during August.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sea ice around Antarctica declined by roughly 116,000 square miles (300,000 square kilometers) over a six-day period before resuming its seasonal growth. Meier said the decline appeared to be associated with weather conditions that pushed and compacted the thin, mobile ice near its outer edge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose types of things happen all the time,\u201d Meier said. \u201cBut the magnitude of it certainly is unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antarctic sea ice varies more from year to year than Arctic sea ice because, in contrast to the Arctic, it is not surrounded by land and can respond more freely to changing wind and weather conditions. But Antarctic sea ice extent at its annual maximum has generally been lower in recent years. Because of this large year-to-year variability, Boisvert and Meier remain cautious about characterizing the change as a long-term trend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scientists have tracked polar sea ice from space for nearly five decades. During that time, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used a series of satellite instruments to maintain a continuous sea ice record, beginning with NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earthdata.nasa.gov\/data\/platforms\/space-based-platforms\/nimbus-7\" rel=\"noopener\">Nimbus-7<\/a> satellite, which began observations in October 1978. The record continued with instruments aboard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.mil\/About-Us\/Fact-Sheets\/Article\/2197779\/defense-meteorological-satellite-program\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Defense Meteorological Satellite Program<\/a> satellites beginning in 1987 and NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/aqua.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Aqua satellite<\/a> from 2002 to 2011. Today, scientists continue the record using data from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2), launched in 2012 aboard JAXA\u2019s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) <a href=\"https:\/\/global.jaxa.jp\/projects\/sat\/gcom_w\/\" rel=\"noopener\">GCOM-W satellite<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antarctic sea ice typically reaches its annual maximum in late September or early October. NASA and NSIDC will announce the 2026 maximum after scientists confirm that seasonal ice growth has ended.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Media contact:\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:elizabeth.a.vlock@nasa.gov\">Elizabeth Vlock<\/a><br \/>NASA Headquarters<\/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\/ffa-2026-hyperwall-schedule\/\" 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=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/earth-observer\/2025\/NASA-meatball-blk.png?w=1920&#038;h=1080&#038;%23038;fit=clip&#038;%23038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); 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transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/boom-year-for-desert-blooms\/australiawildflowes_oli_20260830_th.jpg?w=1440&#038;h=960&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1440w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/boom-year-for-desert-blooms\/australiawildflowes_oli_20260830_th.jpg?w=300&#038;h=200&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 300w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/boom-year-for-desert-blooms\/australiawildflowes_oli_20260830_th.jpg?w=768&#038;h=512&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 768w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/boom-year-for-desert-blooms\/australiawildflowes_oli_20260830_th.jpg?w=1024&#038;h=683&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1024w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/boom-year-for-desert-blooms\/australiawildflowes_oli_20260830_th.jpg?w=400&#038;h=267&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 400w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/boom-year-for-desert-blooms\/australiawildflowes_oli_20260830_th.jpg?w=600&#038;h=400&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 600w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/boom-year-for-desert-blooms\/australiawildflowes_oli_20260830_th.jpg?w=900&#038;h=600&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 900w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/esd\/eo\/images\/iotd\/2026\/boom-year-for-desert-blooms\/australiawildflowes_oli_20260830_th.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/><\/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\">Boom Year for Desert Blooms<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">Carpets of wildflowers burst from arid, ochre-colored land in Western Australia following winter rains.<\/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\t14 hours 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\/science-research\/planetary-science\/nasa-funded-research-finds-complex-life-defying-record-heat\/\" 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=\"1228\" height=\"1390\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=1228&#038;h=1390&#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\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=1228&#038;h=1390&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1228w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=265&#038;h=300&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 265w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=768&#038;h=869&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 768w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=905&#038;h=1024&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 905w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=353&#038;h=400&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 353w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=530&#038;h=600&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 530w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=795&#038;h=900&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 795w, https:\/\/assets.science.nasa.gov\/dynamicimage\/assets\/science\/psd\/astrobiology\/research-images\/icas_SEM.png?w=1060&#038;h=1200&#038;fit=crop&#038;crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1060w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1228px) 100vw, 1228px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">6 min read<\/div>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\">\n<h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA-Funded Research Finds Complex Life Defying Record Heat<\/h3>\n<\/div>\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\t1 day 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>Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on Sept. 12, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The ice covered an estimated 1.78 million square miles (4.6 million square kilometers), tying 2008, 2010, and 2025 for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record. [\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,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15644,19470],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-549379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-earth","category-sea-ice"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO Pro 5.0.2 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on Sept. 12, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The ice covered an estimated 1.78 million square miles (4.6 million square kilometers), tying 2008, 2010, and 2025 for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record. 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