Polar Ice provided by National Snow and Ice Data Center

Arctic Ice Cover

On September 12, 2026, Arctic sea ice likely reached its annual minimum extent of 4.60 million square kilometers (1.78 million square miles). The 2026 minimum shares the tenth lowest spot in the nearly 48-year satellite record with 2008, 2010, and 2025. The last 20 years, from 2007 to 2026, are the lowest 20 sea ice extents in the satellite record.

Anarctic Ice Cover

In the Antarctic, sea ice extent has been tracking near record low levels for most of the growth season, most likely reaching its maximum extent on September 14 at 17.59 million square kilometers (6.79 million square miles). If this maximum date holds, this will be the third lowest Antarctic sea ice maximum on record.

Below is a link to an interesting article about ice breakers used to study Anarctica ice sheets.