NASA Monitors the 'New Normal' of Sea Ice
This years melt season in the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas started with a bang, with a record low maximum extent in March and relatively rapid ice loss through May. The melt slowed down in June, however, making it highly unlikely that this years summertime sea ice minimum extent will set a new record.
Even when its likely that we wont have a record low, the sea ice is not showing any kind of recovery. Its still in a continued decline over the long term, said Walt Meier, a sea ice scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Its just not going to be as extreme as other years because the weather conditions in the Arctic were not as extreme as in other years.
A decade ago, this years sea ice extent would have set a new record low and by a fair amount. Now, were kind of used to these low levels of sea ice its the new normal.
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-monitors-the-new-normal-of-sea-ice