Ice cover at 'second lowest level'
Updated on 16 September 2008
Ice cover at the Arctic is at its second lowest level since records began 30 years ago, scientists said.
Only last year's summer melt reduced the ice cap to lower levels than were reached this year, researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) said.
The NSIDC in the US said this year's results reinforced the "strong negative trend" in the extent of ice cover seen in the summer at the Arctic over the past 30 years as a result of climate change.
The researchers said the extent of the ice had hit its lowest point for 2008, covering an area 2.24 million square kilometres (0.86 million miles) below the 30-year average for this time of year.
This year's melt did not smash the record lows set in 2007, which prompted scientists to warn the effects of climate change were coming through "loud and clear".
But despite cooler summer temperatures overall, the level of ice cover this year is only 390,000 square kilometres (150,000 square miles) or 9.4% more than 2007.
The melting occurred in slightly different places, with greater loss this year than last in some areas and less melt in others.
This year the Northern Sea Route - the passage through the Arctic ocean along the coast of Siberia - opened up, which did not occur last year.
While the shallow Amundsen's Northwest Passage opened both this year and last, the deeper Parry's Channel of the Northwest Passage did not open this year, the scientists said.
They have warned we could see an ice-free Arctic in the summer by 2030.
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