SCI-TECH

Cloudy, cool August restrains melt of Arctic sea ice

Seth Borenstein The Associated Press
Published Tuesday, September 19, 2017 5:43PM EDT

In this July 21, 2017, file photo, broken sea ice emerges from under the hull of the Finnish icebreaker MSV Nordica as it sails through the Victoria Strait while traversing the Arctic's Northwest Passage. (AP Photo / David Goldman, File)

Text:

WASHINGTON - Scientists calculate that Arctic sea ice this summer dropped to its eighth lowest level on record. That's far below average, but considerably above the record low set five years ago.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center says that on Sept. 13 ice in the Arctic shrank to its smallest area of the season: 4.64 million square kilometres.

Data centre scientist Ted Scambos says the Arctic set a record for the smallest winter amount earlier this year and was close to 2012's record low levels through July. Then a cloudy and cooler than normal August kept melt to a minimum.

This year's low is 1.58 million square kilometres below the 30-year average but 1.25 million square kilometres above 2012's record.