Arctic Sea Ice is at its Second Lowest on Record

After the hottest year on record, it is not surprising that the world’s sea ice is in critical condition. Arctic sea ice has reached its second lowest extent for January, with the edge of the ice field pushed significantly further north than usual.

The US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reports a significant decline in ice extent, down by 498,000 square miles (1.29 million square kilometers) compared to the average between 1981 and 2010. This alarming reduction means the Arctic is currently missing an area of ice six times the size of Wales.

Researchers have determined that abnormally warm temperatures are preventing ice from forming properly during the winter. This situation is particularly severe in northern Greenland and central Alaska, where temperatures have soared to 8°C (14°F) above the average.

Hudson Bay, a large saltwater area in northeastern Canada, has only recently frozen over, even though it typically starts to freeze in mid-December. Despite this delay, the sea ice extent remains 19,000 square miles (50,000 square kilometers) above the record low for this month, which was set in 2018.

Satellite data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) indicate that Arctic sea ice averaged 5.07 million square miles (13.13 million square kilometers) last month, 300,000 square miles less than January 2024’s average of 5.37 million square miles (13.92 million square kilometers), the 20th lowest extent for that month.

Ice increased in Hudson Bay and the Bering Sea, but retreated further north in areas like the Labrador Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. Satellite data shows that the ice sheet’s edge has moved further north than the 1981-2010 average in most areas.

A record low in December saw Arctic sea ice levels drop significantly due to delayed growth in Hudson Bay and the Barents Sea, driven by unusually warm air and water temperatures.

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), 2024 was the hottest year on record, with surface temperatures rising on every populated continent except Oceania, which had its third warmest year. On average, 2024 was 0.72°C (1.3°F) warmer than 1991-2000 and 1.6°C (2.88°F) hotter than the pre-industrial average from 1850 to 1900.

The average sea surface temperature in the extra-polar ocean reached a record high of 20.87°C (69.57°F), surpassing the 1991–2020 average by 0.51°C (0.92°F). Data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) showed that higher-than-normal air temperatures in the Arctic Ocean hindered ice formation.

In Hudson Bay, these warmer temperatures and strong northeast winds melted ice, keeping the bay clear for an extended period.

As of January 2025, the Arctic has definitively lost about 16,000 square miles (41,000 square kilometers) of sea ice each year, representing a significant decrease of 2.8 percent compared to the 1981-2010 average.

Since 1979, this amounts to a staggering total loss of 726,000 square miles (1.88 million square kilometers), an area nearly equivalent to the size of Alaska. This trend underscores the urgent and undeniable impact of climate change on our polar regions.

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

Luke 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and diseases; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Matthew 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Matthew 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Matthew 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. And the evil servant would not be watching for his return and he would receive the same as a hypocrite.

Matthew 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

Matthew 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

Matthew 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work sin.

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