Arctic Melt Season Length Levels Off

While the sea ice melt season has lengthened dramatically in most of the satellite era, the trend unexpectedly stabilized around 2010. Previously, there was more of this multiyear ice that didn’t melt away each summer,” said Linette Boisvert, a co-author on the study and ice scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Now that the ice is thinner and there’s less of it, there’s a lot more variability. ” On average, though, the decline in sea ice thickness and extent that occurred during the 2000s appears to have stopped for the time being. To understand why, the team examined changes in the Arctic’s energy balance, the net difference between incoming heat from the Sun, atmosphere, and ocean and the outgoing infrared radiation emitted back to space.

Earth Observatory Image of the Day NASA’s Earth Observatory brings you the Earth, every day, with in-depth stories and stunning imagery. NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison based on data from Boisvert, L, et al.

A new NASA-led study has found that while the Arctic melt season has lengthened dramatically since satellite records began, that trend unexpectedly stabilized around 2010. Previously, there was more of this multiyear ice that didn't melt away each summer,” said Linette Boisvert, a co-author on the study and ice scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Now that the ice is thinner and there's less of it, there's a lot more variability. ” On average, though, the decline in sea ice thickness and extent that occurred during the 2000s appears to have stopped for the time being. To understand why, the team examined changes in the Arctic's energy balance, the net difference between incoming heat from the Sun, atmosphere, and ocean and the outgoing infrared radiation emitted back to space.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using data from Boisvert, L, et al.

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