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On March 21, 2021, Arctic sea ice reached its annual maximum extent,

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covering 5.70 million square miles (14.77 million square kilometers).

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This year’s maximum is the seventh-lowest maximum on record.

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Arctic sea ice regrowth had a delayed start this year following warmer temperatures later in the season. 

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Every year, after the warmer summer months melt ice in the Arctic,

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sea ice regrows to its annual maximum extent during colder winter temperatures.

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Conversely, as warmer summer temperatures melt sea ice,

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it reaches its lowest extent, or its minimum. 

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This year’s Arctic sea ice maximum comes after 2020’s second-lowest sea ice minimum,

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recorded during last summer’s soaring temperatures and record-breaking wildfires in the Siberian Arctic.

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NASA has been recording both the maximum and minimum Arctic sea ice extent every year since 1979.

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The Arctic region is warming three times faster than the rest of the planet.

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NASA