Arctic sea ice surpassed all previous records for the lowest
absolute minimum summer extent in September 2007. The "stunning
record low" of 4.13 million square kilometers was recorded by
satellite images on September 16, according to the National Snow
and Ice Data Center. The previous record, 5.32 million square
kilometers, was measured on September 20-21, 2005. The minimum
for 2007 is smaller by 1.19 million square kilometers (460,000
square miles) than the previous low. 2007 also saw the extended
opening of the Northwest Passage through islands north of Canada
for the first time. See http://nsidc.org