The rapid decline of the sea ice in the Russian Arctic

A study of the sea ice concentrations obtained by passive microwave satellite imagery during the 1979–2007 period reveals remarkable changes in the sea ice cover of the Russian Arctic. A large reduction in the summer sea ice extent and area was observed in all Russian Arctic seas and straits while in the Barents Sea a significant decrease also took place in the winter months. Special attention was paid to the less studied length of the ice-free season, which was found to increase essentially everywhere, with particularly high rates of change in the Barents and Chukchi Seas.