Highlights
Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent was 17.2 percent below the 1979–2000 average and ranked as the third smallest October Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent in the satellite record, behind 2007 (smallest) and 2009 (second smallest). Northern Hemisphere October sea ice has declined at a rate of 6.2 percent per decade. The anomalously low extent for the month was partially driven by the third lowest annual minimum occurring one month before in September and above–average temperatures across the Arctic during October. It was the 14th consecutive October with below–average Northern Hemisphere sea ice.
The source article State of the Climate | Global Snow & Ice | October 2010 was published November 18, 2010 by NOAA .
