--- title: Climate Change: Arctic Winter Sea Ice Hits New Record Low description: A record warm winter drove sea ice in the Arctic to a new winter low canonical: https://time.com/4274140/arctic-sea-ice-winter-record/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-28T21:07:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:01.061Z article:section: Science og:title: Climate Change: Arctic Winter Sea Ice Hits New Record Low og:description: A record warm winter drove sea ice in the Arctic to a new winter low og:url: https://time.com/4274140/arctic-sea-ice-winter-record/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7f7f954bb4c0b42/69888cc65f570f88e3b2039a/arctic-sea-ice-melt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5000 og:image:height: 2813 og:image:alt: Arctic sea ice melt og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Climate Change: Arctic Winter Sea Ice Hits New Record Low twitter:description: A record warm winter drove sea ice in the Arctic to a new winter low twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7f7f954bb4c0b42/69888cc65f570f88e3b2039a/arctic-sea-ice-melt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Arctic Winter Sea Ice Hits a Record Low Amid Higher Temperatures > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=d4462167-1dfb-48e9-aac9-43b6b1fa1373&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Future Proof is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=d4462167-1dfb-48e9-aac9-43b6b1fa1373&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/subscribe?i=d4462167-1dfb-48e9-aac9-43b6b1fa1373&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's climate and energy newsletter? Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: NASA: A Year in the Life of Earths CO2 [Watch (HLS stream): NASA: A Year in the Life of Earths CO2](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/TPdLINk3.m3u8) (3:10)  _Published 2016-03-09. An ultra-high-resolution NASA computer model has given scientists a stunning new look at how carbon dioxide in the atmosphere travels around the globe._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Mar 28, 2016 9:07 PM UTC  SPITSBERGEN, NORWAY - 1981/01/01: Spitsbergen, Icefloes Off The Coastline. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images) SPITSBERGEN, NORWAY - 1981/01/01: Spitsbergen, Icefloes Off The Coastline. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images) Wolfgang Kaehler—LightRocket via Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Mar 28, 2016 9:07 PM UTC A record warm winter drove sea ice in the Arctic to a record winter low, according to a new government [report](http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2016/03/another-record-low-for-arctic-sea-ice-maximum-winter-extent/). The sea ice over the Arctic expands and shrinks with the seasons, but it typically covers the most territory in late March, at the end of the Arctic winter—a point called the maximum winter extent. Preliminary satellite data from NASA shows that this year’s maximum winter extent—reached on March 24—was the smallest ever, with Arctic sea ice covering 5.607 million square miles (14.52 million square km). That’s more than 430,000 square miles (1.1 million square kilometers)—nearly three times the size of Montana—below the average level between 1981 and 2010. This winter was the [hottest on record](https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/) in many places across the globe, with average temperatures 2.03°F (1.13°C) above the 20th century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). [Temperatures in the Arctic](http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/15/record-breaking-temperatures-have-robbed-the-arctic-of-its-winter) were as much as 16°C (29°F) above average, driving the ice melt. “It’s a lot easier to warm something that’s cold than something that’s already warm,” says Sean Sublette, a meteorologist at Climate Central. Climate scientists attribute the season’s [record temperatures](http://time.com/4261719/february-heat-records-climate-change/) to a combination of a particularly strong occurrence of the [El Niño](http://time.com/3996227/el-nino-forecast/) climate phenomenon—which raises ocean temperatures in the Pacific and changes air circulation to drive higher global temperatures—and the ongoing, mostly man-made climate change that has been heating the globe for decades. Sea ice melt also causes its own set of problems as it modifies short-term global climate patterns. In the long-run, it also contributes to the very climate change that causes it as the water exposed by ice melt tends to absorb more sunlight than ice. ## Transcript Hi, this is Bill Puttman. I'm a climate scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. What you're looking at is a super computer model of carbon dioxide levels in the earth's atmosphere. The visualization compresses one year of data into a few minutes. [ MUSIC ] Carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas affected by human activity. About half of the carbon dioxide emitted from fossil fuel combustion remains in the atmosphere while the other half is absorbed by natural land and ocean reservoirs. In the Northern Hemisphere, We see the highest concentrations are focused around major emissions sources over North America, Europe, and Asia. [ MUSIC ] Notice how the as doesn't stay in one place. The dispersion of carbon dioxide is controlled by the large scale weather patterns within the global circulation. [ MUSIC ] During spring and summer in the northern hemisphere, plants absorb a substantial amount of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, thus removing some of the gas from the atmosphere. We see this change in the model and the red and purple colors start to fade. [ MUSIC ] Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, we see the release of another pollutant, carbon monoxide. This is a gas that's both harmful to the environment, and to humans. During the summer months, plumes of carbon monoxide stream from fires in Africa, South America, and Australia, contributing to high concentrations in the atmosphere. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Notice how these emissions are also transported by winds To other parts of the world. [ MUSIC ] As summer transitions to fall and plant photosynthesis decreases, carbon dioxide begins to accumulate in the atmosphere. Although this change is expected We're saying higher concentrations of carbon dioxide accumulate in the atmosphere each year. This is contributing to the long term trend of rising global temperatures. [ MUSIC ] The Orbiting Carbon Observatory- 2 or OCO- 2 will be the first NASA satellite mission. To provide a global view of carbon dioxide. OCO2 observations in atmospheric models, like GEOS5, will work closely together to better understand both human emissions and natural fluxes of carbon dioxide NASA. This will help guide climate models to our more reliable predictions of future conditions across the globe. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4274140/arctic-sea-ice-winter-record/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4274140/arctic-sea-ice-winter-record/"},"headline":"Arctic Winter Sea Ice Hits a Record Low Amid Higher Temperatures","datePublished":"2016-03-28T21:07:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:56:01.061Z","description":"A record warm winter had a lot to do with it","url":"https://time.com/4274140/arctic-sea-ice-winter-record/","keywords":["climate change"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7f7f954bb4c0b42/69888cc65f570f88e3b2039a/arctic-sea-ice-melt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd7f7f954bb4c0b42/69888cc65f570f88e3b2039a/arctic-sea-ice-melt.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Arctic sea ice melt","caption":"Arctic sea ice melt","creditText":"Wolfgang Kaehler—LightRocket via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/climate-change/","name":"climate change"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4274140/arctic-sea-ice-winter-record/","name":"Arctic Winter Sea Ice Hits a Record Low Amid Higher Temperatures"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"NASA: A Year in the Life of Earths CO2","description":"An ultra-high-resolution NASA computer model has given scientists a stunning new look at how carbon dioxide in the atmosphere travels around the globe.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/TPdLINk3/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-03-09T15:29:53.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/TPdLINk3.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4274140/arctic-sea-ice-winter-record/","duration":"PT3M10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4274140/arctic-sea-ice-winter-record/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```