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Three-Year Average September Minimum Sea Ice Concentration 1979 - 2005

Sea ice is frozen seawater floating on the surface of the ocean. Some sea ice is permanent, persisting from year to year, and some is seasonal, melting and refreezing from season to season. Because the extent of the sea ice is important both for the Arctic marine ecology and for the role it plays in the Earth's climate, understanding the variation of this extent during the year and from year-to-year is vital. Each year, the minimum sea ice extent in the northern hemisphere occurs at the end of summer, in September. By comparing the extent of the sea ice in September over many successive years, long term trends in the polar climate can be assessed. This animation shows the three-year moving average September mean sea ice concentration in the northern hemisphere from 1979-1981 through 2003-2005. Since 1999, this minimum has shown an ice extent that is consistently 10% to 15% smaller than the average extent over the past 20 years.

This animation shows the three-year moving average September mean sea ice concentration in the northern hemisphere from 1979-1981 through 2003-2005. A date bar indicates the range of years averaged to compute the September mean shown.    This animation shows the three-year moving average September mean sea ice concentration in the northern hemisphere from 1979-1981 through 2003-2005. A date bar indicates the range of years averaged to compute the September mean shown.
Duration: 12.0 seconds
Available formats:
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) Frames (SeaIceWdates)
  320x180     PNG           263 KB
  160x80       PNG           67 KB
  80x40         PNG           17 KB
  512x288 (30 fps) MPEG-1   1 MB
  720x480 (29.97 fps) MPEG-2   5 MB
  256x144 (30 fps) MPEG-1   822 KB
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) MPEG-2   23 MB
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) MPEG-4   8 MB
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This element is the three-year moving average September mean sea ice concentration in the northern hemisphere from 1979-1981 through 2003-2005 without the date bar overlay.    This element is the three-year moving average September mean sea ice concentration in the northern hemisphere from 1979-1981 through 2003-2005 without the date bar overlay.
Duration: 12.0 seconds
Available formats:
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) Frames (SeaIce)
  320x180     PNG           264 KB
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) MPEG-2   23 MB
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) MPEG-4   8 MB
  512x288 (29.97 fps) MPEG-1   1 MB
  720x480 (29.97 fps) MPEG-2   4 MB
How to play our movies


This element contains the overlay date bar that indicates the range of years averaged to compute the September mean along with a month label in the upper left corner.    This element contains the overlay date bar that indicates the range of years averaged to compute the September mean along with a month label in the upper left corner.

Available formats:
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) Frames (DateOverlay)
  320x180     PNG           9 KB
How to play our movies


This animation dissolves between the 1979-1981 average September mean sea ice concentration and the 2003-2005 average September mean sea ice concentration.    This animation dissolves between the 1979-1981 average September mean sea ice concentration and the 2003-2005 average September mean sea ice concentration.
Duration: 20.0 seconds
Available formats:
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) MPEG-2   40 MB
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) Frames (Dissolve)
  320x180     PNG           86 KB
  512x288 (29.97 fps) MPEG-1   2 MB
  720x480 (29.97 fps) MPEG-2   5 MB
  1280x720 (29.97 fps) MPEG-4   6 MB
How to play our movies


This still image shows the September mean sea ice concentration computed from the years 2003 through 2005.    This still image shows the September mean sea ice concentration computed from the years 2003 through 2005.

Available formats:
  2560 x 1440     TIFF 4 MB
  320 x 180         PNG 93 KB

Animation Number:3371
Animators:Cindy Starr (SVS) (Lead)
 Greg Shirah (SVS)
 Stuart A. Snodgrass (SVS)
Completed:2006-09-06
Scientists:Waleed Abdalati (NASA/GSFC)
 Walt Meier (NSIDC)
Instrument:DMSP/SSMI
Data set:NSIDC September Minimum Sea Ice Concentration
Data Collected:September each year from 1979 through 2005
Series:NASM2006
Goddard TV Tape:G2007-001HD -- NASA's HD Climate Change Resource Tape
Keywords:
DLESE >> Cryology
SVS >> HDTV
SVS >> Sea Ice
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Cryosphere
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Cryosphere >> Sea Ice
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Cryosphere >> Snow/Ice
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Oceans >> Sea Ice
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Cryosphere >> Sea Ice >> Ice Growth/Melt
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Cryosphere >> Sea Ice >> Sea Ice Concentration
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Cryosphere >> Sea Ice >> Sea Ice Motion
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Cryosphere >> Snow/Ice >> Ice Growth/Melt
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Cryosphere >> Snow/Ice >> Ice Motion
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Oceans >> Sea Ice >> Ice Growth/Melt
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Oceans >> Sea Ice >> Sea Ice Concentration
GCMD >> Location >> Arctic
 
 
Please give credit for this item to
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio
The Blue Marble data is courtesy of Reto Stockli (NASA/GSFC).


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