Sea Ice Extent as the Equinox Approaches

Arctic sea ice reaches its maximum extent in mid-March, around the time of the Vernal Equinox. After the Equinox, sunlight shines at the North Pole constantly until fall, and the sea ice will gradually decline.

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NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using AMSR-E Sea Ice Concentration data provided courtesy of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Caption by Holli Riebeek.

Published March 21, 2009
Data acquired March 15, 2008

Source:

Aqua > AMSR-E