Arctic Sea Ice Winter Max Is Fifth-Lowest On Record, Sign Of 'Downward Trend' In Polar Ice Coverage

A few weeks ago, on March 21, the ice in the Arctic Ocean reached its maximum winter extent. According to new data released by the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, the ice surrounding Earth's North Pole swelled to 14.91 million square kilometers, or 5.76 million square miles - its fifth-lowest peak since 1978.