The Ice of March
March is the month when arctic sea ice is at its maximum, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, nsidc.org.
Here's what the average arctic ice extent looked like this March, 2014, compared to all the other Marches back to when satellite record-keeping first began, 1979.
Here's what the preceding six months look like, starting with September, the time of minimum sea ice in late summer.
September-'13
October-'13
November-'13
December-'13
January-'14
February-'14