Late summer sea-ice extent in the Arctic

This graph shows the late summer (September) sea-ice extent in the Arctic as measured by satellites from 1979-2022. In September 2012, the Arctic sea ice appeared to have reached its minimum extent for the year of 3.41 million sq km. This is the lowest seasonal minimum extent in the satellite record since 1979 and reinforces the long-term downward trend in Arctic ice extent.