Winter Arctic Sea Ice Area Hits Record Low: Japan Data

   Tokyo, April 18 (Jiji Press)--Arctic sea ice area this winter reached the lowest level since satellite monitoring began in 1979, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, and the National Institute of Polar Research said Friday.
   This is believed to be because ice buildup was disturbed by higher temperatures in the three months through February. In normal years, Arctic sea ice expands from October to March.
   The maximum Arctic sea extent this winter was 13,790,000 square kilometers on March 20, smaller than the previous record low of 13,920,000 square kilometers on March 5, 2017.
   The data come from the Shizuku satellite launched by JAXA in 2012 for monitoring global water circulation.

(2025/04/18-20:16)