The Arctic Sea's Summer Ice Could Disappear by 2035

By the time a 2-year-old graduates high school, summer sea ice in the Arctic could be nothing but a memory. According to scientists, Arctic sea ice coverage has declined over the past forty years, due to more ice melting during the summers, and less new ice forming during the winters. In the 1980s, ice during the month of July covered approximately 3.8 million square miles. In July 2020, the sea ice covered about 2.8 million square miles. Scientists have been tracking Arctic sea ice since 1979 and have recorded a decline in ice by an average of 27,000 square miles a year. If the ice continues to melt at that rate, scientists predict there won’t be any left during the summer of 2035.

SOURCE: NASA / NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE

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