The Arctic is intricately linked to earth's climate. As Arctic sea ice declines, the effects are being felt far beyond the Arctic region. Now a new study shows how losing sea ice means the top of the planet is absorbing more heat than it did just three decades ago - and it makes for a sobering read.
Scientists have noticed big changes in the Arctic since satellites started observing earth from space, thirty years ago. The area covered by sea ice is getting smaller and the ice is getting thinner, due largely to rising global temperature.
The loss is most noticeable at the end of summer, when sea ice shrinks to a minimum, as part of its seasonal cycle. In September 2012, Arctic sea ice reached its lowest extent since satellite records began.