‘Tis the Season for Sea Ice

The news lately is replete with mentions of sea ice, because NOAA’s Arctic Report Card features it prominently, mentioning that “In 2018 Arctic sea ice remained younger, thinner, and covered less area than in the past. The 12 lowest extents in the satellite record have occurred in the last 12 years.” It also emphasizes how the loss of Arctic sea ice is but the start of a chain of events leading to dramatic change both in the Arctic and elsewhere.