JAXA GLOBAL SEA ICE EXTENT : 19,469,849 km2 as at 16 April 2020
Antarctic extent gain mostly at or above average, and Arctic extent loiss mostly at or below average in the last week.
- On this day extent is 5th lowest in the satellite record since 1979, and the position is unchanged from a week ago,
- Extent gain to date 3.40 million km2, 0.87 million km2 (20 %) less than the last 10 years' average gain of 4.26 million km2,
- Extent is 0.87 million km2 greater than 2017,
- Extent is 0.72 million km2 greater than 2018,
- Extent is 1.09 million km2 greater than 2019,
- Extent is 0.68 million km2 less than the 2010's average,
- 47% of the average ice GAIN of the season done, 194 days to the average maximum date of 4 November. However, there are also the false maximum in late June or July followed by the false minimum in August/September before the maximum.
The Perils of Projections
Average sea ice extent gain would produce a maximum of 24.95 million km2, 1.09 million km2 above the record low maximum of 23.76 million km2 in 2016.
This would be third lowest in the satellite record.
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