USFWS
The floating ice of the Arctic Ocean has shrunk to the smallest extent ever observed by satellites for a single day — with a full month to go before the normal end of melt season.
From Aug. 16 to Aug. 17, the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by at least 85 percent ice has never been smaller.
“Arctic sea ice has now surpassed all previous records for the lowest absolute minimum extent,” reported the National Snow and Ice Data Center in its Aug. 17 dispatch.
“Satellite measurements recorded the previous record, 5.32 million square kilometers (2.05 million square miles), on September 20–21, 2005. As of this morning, the extent was 5.26 million square kilometers (2.02 million square miles)”
Check out this graphic:
People can monitor the day by day flucuations with this map. Clicking on the image will lead to a larger version. http://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2007/03/26/where-is-bethel-ice-pack/
It March the ice pack was below North Korea, where the godwits had just landed from Aotearoa / New Zealand on their way to western Alaska.
http://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/the-godwits-are-coming/