February Arctic Sea Ice report
Arctic Ocean Sea Ice Extent in February is rapidly approaching its winter maximum (which usually occurs in mid-March). Here is how the average February SIE compares with previous years' SIE.
Overall, sea ice extent during February 2019 increased by 543,000 square kilometers (210,000 square miles). This was fairly close to the 1981 to 2010 average increase for the month. The linear rate of sea ice decline for February is 46,300 square kilometers (17,900 square miles) per year, or 3.0 percent per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average.