NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Sea Ice Extent
| June 2013 | Sea Ice Extent | Anomaly 1991-2020 | Trend per decade | Rank (35 years) | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| million km² | million mi² | Year(s) | million km² | million mi² | |||||
| Northern Hemisphere | 11.36 | 4.39 | +0.53% | -4.07% | Largest | 27th | 1979 | 12.53 | 4.84 |
| Smallest | 9th | 2010 | 10.59 | 4.09 | |||||
| Southern Hemisphere | 14.15 | 5.46 | +5.13% | +1.63% | Largest | 3rd | 2010 | 14.41 | 5.56 |
| Smallest | 33rd | 2002 | 12.38 | 4.78 | |||||
| Globe | 25.51 | 9.85 | +3.03% | -0.97% | Largest | 10th | 1979 | 26.72 | 10.32 |
| Smallest | 26th | 2002 | 23.96 | 9.25 | |||||
Data Source: National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Period of record: 1979–2013 (35 years)
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), the Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent — which is measured from passive microwave instruments onboard NOAA satellites — averaged for June 2013 was 11.58 million square km (4.47 million square miles), 2.61 percent below the 1981-2010 average, and the 11th smallest June Arctic sea ice extent on record. The sea ice extent during June 2013 was about 760,000 square kilometers (293,000 square miles) above the record low in 2010 and the largest Arctic sea ice extent since 2003. The rate of ice melt during June was 70,300 square kilometers (27,000 square miles) per day, which is slightly faster than average. Near-average ice coverage was observed across much of the Arctic, with the exception of the Barents Sea, which had much-below average ice cover. June Arctic sea ice extent is decreasing at an average rate of 3.7 percent per decade.
The June 2013 Southern Hemisphere sea ice extent was 14.65 million square km (5.66 million square miles), 5.18 percent above the 1981-2010 average. This marked the third largest June Antarctic sea ice extent on record. June Southern Hemisphere sea ice extent is increasing at an average rate of 1.4 percent per decade, with substantial interannual variability.
For further information on the Northern and Southern Hemisphere snow and ice conditions, please visit the NSIDC News page.