Publication Date July 7, 2016 | The Guardian

Arctic sea ice crashes to record low for June

Arctic
An area of Arctic sea ice about twice the size of Texas has vanished over the last 30 years, and the rate of that retreat has accelerated. Photo: NASA/Reuters
An area of Arctic sea ice about twice the size of Texas has vanished over the last 30 years, and the rate of that retreat has accelerated. Photo: NASA/Reuters

The summer sea ice cover over the Arctic raced towards oblivion in June, crashing through previous records to reach a new all-time low.

The Arctic sea ice extent was a staggering 260,000 sq km (100,000 sq miles) below the previous record for June, set in 2010. And it was 1.36m sq km (525,000 sq miles) below the 1981-2010 long-term average, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

That means a vast expanse of ice – an area about twice the size of Texas – has vanished over the past 30 years, and the rate of that retreat has accelerated.

Aside from March, each month in 2016 has set a grim new low for sea ice cover, after a record warm winter