In late summer, the volume of Arctic ice fell to a record low for all of 2018. This coincides with a sad trend - global warming in the region is going much faster than in the rest of the planet. Despite the fact that this year's result is only the sixth lowest sea ice level in 40 years of satellite observations, and well above the record low in 2012, the general trend is indicative of a disaster.
“That (6th highest ever - Ed.) Might sound like 'Well, the year was pretty boring.' Even though the ice melt has not broken an all-time record, it is still well below the historical average,”says Jeremy Mathis, director of the Arctic Research Program at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For the past 12 consecutive years, Arctic ice has shown the lowest minimum levels in all years of satellite observations.
The sad picture is complemented by the fact that this year began to melt the strongest and oldest sections of the Arctic ice, which survived even the disastrous year 2012. The ice sheet, the thickness of which reached 20 meters in some places, was powerless against the constant rise in temperature. “Something strange happened this year: something that makes it clear how much the Arctic is changing. Perhaps we will see the Arctic Ocean without ice much sooner than expected,”says Mathis.