On 12 September the Arctic ice cover shrank to 4.6 million km², tied for the 10th-lowest minimum since satellite records began in 1978. The 20 lowest minimums all fall between 2007 and 2026; scientists describe a plateau, still far below the early record. Our take: only satellites can measure a whole ocean every day, and that record is one of the clearest things space does for us.
4,6 M km²minimum on 12 Sep
10.lowest since 1978 (tied)
20/20lowest years all since 2007