Arctic Sea Ice Hits Maximum Extent For 2011-12; Most 4" To 12" Thick "At Most"; Will Melt Quickly

http://blogs.discovery.com/.a/6a00d8341bf67c53ef0168e94ffa56970c-640wi

EDIT

Ice extent is declining year-round, but the downward trends for winter months are less steep than for summer, largely because most of the Arctic Ocean still gets covered in ice every winter as the sun disappears north of the Arctic Circle. However, the more that the summer sea ice minimum declines -- and last year's extent essentially tied 2007 as the lowest on record -- the harder it is for the winter maximum to reach historical levels, because there is a smaller base on which to build.

Of particular concern is that the ice is declining in volume as well as extent. This winter, ice was only about 10 to 30 centimeters (4 to 12 inches) thick at most, according to Walt Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center. “So it will all melt away very quickly," he says -- and as it melts away more completely, so it becomes harder for it to reform, creating what NSIDC Director Mark Serreze has called an "overall downward spiral."

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http://news.discovery.com/earth/arctic-sea-ice-reaches-maximum-extent-for-year-120328.html