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'Bound to have an impact on global climate': Arctic sea ice drops to 8th lowest summer level
Cloudy, cool August helped slow the meltArctic sea ice this summer dropped to its eighth lowest level on record, new federal data shows.
That's far below average, but considerably above the record low set five years ago.
The National Snow and Ice Data Center said Tuesday that on Sept. 13 sea ice in Arctic shrank to its smallest area of the season: 4.64 million square kilometres.
Data centre scientist Ted Scambos said the Arctic sea ice 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.
"Weather patterns in August saved the day," Scambos said.
More: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/arctic-sea-ice-decline-1.4298156
A growing number of studies have linked Arctic sea ice decline to changes in the jet stream and some bouts of extreme weather. (Patricia Bell/CBC)