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Arctic Sea Ice Shrinks to Its 2026 Minimum

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 07/10/2026, 04:50:24 UTC.

Briefings

NASA Earth Observatory reports Arctic sea ice reached its 2026 annual minimum on September 12, 2026, covering 4.6 million square kilometers, tying for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record since 1978. The ice extent was lowest in September 2012, while the March 2026 maximum statistically tied the 2025 maximum for the lowest in the satellite record. Satellite data from Nimbus-7 through GCOM-W indicate a decline in multiyear ice and thinner first-year ice, with projections suggesting an ice-free Arctic could occur before the middle of the 21st century.

Key points

• Arctic sea ice reached its 2026 annual minimum extent on September 12, 2026, covering an estimated 4.6 million square kilometers, tying for the 10th-lowest minimum in the satellite record since 1978.
• The lowest September sea ice extent occurred in September 2012, while the March 2026 maximum statistically tied the 2025 maximum for the lowest in the satellite record.

Context and limitations

Data coverage spans from 1978 to 2026 with satellite records; some ice extent estimates assume the pole hole is ice-filled; projections about an ice-free Arctic are forecasts rather than confirmed outcomes.

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