Not so icy in the northern hemisphere at all really

Sea ice forming at a rate slower than it did during the 2007-2008 northern hemisphere winter may indicate we will see another arctic sea ice minimum in line with the numbers from that specific year. The sea ice reached its maximum coverage in March of 2008 , In September of 2007 arctic sea ice coverage had reached its minimum coverage (4.2 million square kilometers) which was approximately 40% below the average for the prior 28 years. That winter an accumulation of sea ice reached a maximum on March 10th of 2008 (21 million square kilometers)This 2008 maximum was still below average compared to prior year, though it did exceed averages in the short-term of the past few years. The September 2007 sea ice coverage is something of a "low water" benchmark, if you will. We will be using this for comparison purposes for future observations, however, one must note that our observations of sea ice coverage in the Arctic (and in Antarctica, as well) are very highly prone to short-term fluctuations that reflect the highly dynamic nature of the variables that impact sea ice formation. Slow sea ice formation may speed up, unexpectedly during the sea ice formation season (September to March), and it is important to note that we are only half way through that season. We will need to watch this closely over the next 2 months, as we will expect maximum arctic sea ice coverage to peak within the first half of March, 2011. Thanks for noting this!