Iceberg melts off Ammassalik Island in Eastern Greenland. (2007, AP)
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists say the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean shrank to an all-time low this year, smashing old records for the critical climate indicator.
The ice cap at the North Pole measured 1.32 million square miles (3.42 million sq. kilometers) on Sunday. The previous low was 1.61 million square miles (4.17 million sq. kilometers) in 2007. Records go back to 1979 based on satellite tracking.
Ice in the Arctic melts in summer and grows in winter, and it started growing again on Monday. National Snow and Ice Data Center scientist Walt Meier (MY'ur) says man-made global warming has melted more sea ice and made it thinner.
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