Environment Counts | Arctic sea ice growth in October lowest on record :
In September, Arctic sea ice hit its annual summertime minimum, just 1.60 million square miles, the second-lowest extent since satellite record-keeping began. In October 2016, Arctic sea ice extent averaged 6.40 million square kilometers (2.5 million square miles), the lowest October in the satellite record.
This is 400,000 square kilometers (154,400 square miles) lower than October 2007, the second lowest October extent, and 690,000 square kilometers (266,400 square miles) lower than October 2012, the third lowest. The average extent was 2.55 million square kilometers (980,000 square miles) below the October 1981 to 2010 long-term average. Air temperatures at the 925 hPa level were usually high over the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and the East Greenland Sea (up to 8 degrees Celsius or 14 degrees Fahrenheit above average).
