2022 Arctic Summer Sea Ice Tied for 10th-Lowest on Record

This visualization of sea ice change in the Arctic uses data provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Global Change Observation Mission 1st-Water “SHIZUKU” satellite, which is part of a NASA-led partnership to operate several Earth-observing satellites. According to satellite observations, Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on September 18, 2022. The ice cover shrank to an area of million square kilometers ( million square miles) this year, roughly million square kilometers (598,000 square miles) below the 1981-2010 average minimum of million square kilometers ( million square miles). Trent L. Schindler (USRA): Lead Animator Cindy Starr (GST): Animator Roberto Molar-Candanosa (KBR): Lead Producer Walt Meier (NASA/GSFC): Lead Scientist This video can be freely shared and downloaded at If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: