Record Low Arctic Sea Ice for July; Quiet tropics Last month,
Arctic sea ice extent was the lowest ever recorded for any July
in the 1979 to 2011 satellite record, according to the National
Snow and Ice Data Center. Most of the ice loss occurred in the
first half of the month when high pressure made for clear skies
and melting sunshine, and warm air blew into the Arctic from the
south. In the first two weeks of July, air temperature over the
North Pole was 11 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit above average. During
the last two weeks of July, low pressure took over and brought
cooler temperatures, although it appears this also acted to push
the ice around, which resulted in a larger but thinner area of
ice. New research shows that old ice continues to decline as
well, which is problematic because older ice is more stable and
tends to grow thicker over multiple seasons, and new ice is thin
and more susceptible to melting. According to the University of
Washington Polar Science Center, Arctic sea ice volume was 51%
lower