The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just released its annual Arctic Report Card, a comprehensive overview of what s happening at our planet s North Pole.
In terms of sea ice, I d say sea ice cover is a D , Dartmouth University geophysicist Donald Perovich told reporters at a press conference at the American Geophysical Union meeting today.
Because I m an easy grader.
As Perovich s generous D indicates, Arctic sea ice has been having an astonishingly bad year, beginning with a record early spring thaw and continuing through an unprecedented fall, during which ice cover has grown very slowly.
From September of 2015 to September 2016, Arctic temperatures were the highest on record, with new monthly record highs recorded for January, February, October, and November.
It s important to note that records aren t just being broken—they re being shattered.
