Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-433-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-433-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 Feb 2018
Research article |
| 06 Feb 2018
| 06 Feb 2018
The Arctic sea ice cover of 2016: a year of record-low highs and higher-than-expected lows
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland,
College Park, MD, USA
Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD, USA
Julienne C. Stroeve
Center for Polar Observation & Modelling, University College London, London, UK
National Snow and Ice Data Center, Cooperative Institute for Research
in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Paul R. Holland
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
Linette N. Boisvert
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland,
College Park, MD, USA
Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD, USA
Angela C. Bliss
Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland,
College Park, MD, USA
Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD, USA
Noriaki Kimura
Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo,
Tokyo, Japan
Walter N. Meier
National Snow and Ice Data Center, Cooperative Institute for Research
in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
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- Backward and forward drift trajectories of sea ice in the northwestern Arctic Ocean in response to changing atmospheric circulation R. Lei et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.6080
- Seasonal Trends in Clouds and Radiation over the Arctic Seas from Satellite Observations during 1982 to 2019 X. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13163201
- Large-scale forcing of principal near-surface wind speed variability patterns in the Arctic since 1979 S. Song et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adda60
- Impact of model resolution on Arctic sea ice and North Atlantic Ocean heat transport D. Docquier et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-019-04840-y
- Influence of the Thermal Structure on the Intensification of the Extreme Arctic Cyclone in August 2016 Q. Qian et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JD038638
- Variability of Arctic Sea Ice (1979–2016) Z. Wu & X. Wang https://doi.org/10.3390/w11010023
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- Drivers of Interannual Sea Ice Concentration Variability in the Atlantic Water Inflow Region North of Svalbard Ø. Lundesgaard et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016522
- The Importance of Subsurface Productivity in the Pacific Arctic Gateway as Revealed by High‐Resolution Biogeochemical Surveys L. Juranek et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC019292
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- Variations in Water Vapor From AIRS and MODIS in Response to Arctic Sea Ice Change in December 2002–November 2016 L. Chang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2019.2913149
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- Divergence of Arctic shrub growth associated with sea ice decline A. Buchwal et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2013311117
- Medium‐Range Forecast Skill for Extraordinary Arctic Cyclones in Summer of 2008–2016 A. Yamagami et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077278
- Underwater sound to probe sea ice melting in the Arctic during winter M. Mahanty et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72917-4
- Two modes of extreme central Arctic sea ice reduction: temperature advection and sea ice motion dominance Z. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-026-08052-z
- Probability assessments of an ice-free Arctic: Comparing statistical and climate model projections F. Diebold & G. Rudebusch https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2020.12.007
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- Subseasonal to seasonal Arctic sea-ice prediction: A grand challenge of climate science K. Wei et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aosl.2021.100052
- Satellite passive microwave sea-ice concentration data set inter-comparison for Arctic summer conditions S. Kern et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2469-2020
48 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Spatio-temporal change and variability of Barents-Kara sea ice, in the Arctic: Ocean and atmospheric implications A. Kumar et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142046
- Variations in Rates of Biological Production in the Beaufort Gyre as the Arctic Changes: Rates From 2011 to 2016 B. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014805
- Connections to the Deep: Deep Vertical Migrations, an Important Part of the Life Cycle of Apherusa glacialis, an Arctic Ice-Associated Amphipod M. Drivdal et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.772766
- Automated Detection and Depth Determination of Melt Ponds on Sea Ice in ICESat-2 ATLAS Data—The Density-Dimension Algorithm for Bifurcating Sea-Ice Reflectors (DDA-Bifurcate-Seaice) U. Herzfeld et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2023.3268073
- A Possible Link Between Winter Arctic Sea Ice Decline and a Collapse of the Beaufort High? A. Petty https://doi.org/10.1002/2018GL077704
- Ice algae in current water-ice environmental condition of the Arctic Ocean I. Melnikov et al. https://doi.org/10.30758/0555-2648-2022-68-2-191-207
- Backward and forward drift trajectories of sea ice in the northwestern Arctic Ocean in response to changing atmospheric circulation R. Lei et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.6080
- Seasonal Trends in Clouds and Radiation over the Arctic Seas from Satellite Observations during 1982 to 2019 X. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13163201
- Large-scale forcing of principal near-surface wind speed variability patterns in the Arctic since 1979 S. Song et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adda60
- Impact of model resolution on Arctic sea ice and North Atlantic Ocean heat transport D. Docquier et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-019-04840-y
- Influence of the Thermal Structure on the Intensification of the Extreme Arctic Cyclone in August 2016 Q. Qian et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JD038638
- Variability of Arctic Sea Ice (1979–2016) Z. Wu & X. Wang https://doi.org/10.3390/w11010023
- Summer Extreme Cyclone Impacts on Arctic Sea Ice J. Lukovich et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0925.1
- Drivers of Interannual Sea Ice Concentration Variability in the Atlantic Water Inflow Region North of Svalbard Ø. Lundesgaard et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JC016522
- The Importance of Subsurface Productivity in the Pacific Arctic Gateway as Revealed by High‐Resolution Biogeochemical Surveys L. Juranek et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JC019292
- Early predictors of seasonal Arctic sea-ice volume loss: the impact of spring and early-summer cloud radiative conditions M. King et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.60
- The NASA Eulerian Snow on Sea Ice Model (NESOSIM) v1.0: initial model development and analysis A. Petty et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-4577-2018
- Revisiting Trans-Arctic Maritime Navigability in 2011–2016 from the Perspective of Sea Ice Thickness X. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13142766
- Variations in Water Vapor From AIRS and MODIS in Response to Arctic Sea Ice Change in December 2002–November 2016 L. Chang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2019.2913149
- Sensitivity of Passive Microwave Satellite Observations to Snow Density and Grain Size Over Arctic Sea Ice Y. Kwon et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2023.3322401
- Modeled variations in the inherent optical properties of summer Arctic ice and their effects on the radiation budget: a case based on ice cores from 2008 to 2016 M. Yu et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-273-2024
- Spatiotemporal Stationarity of Laptev Sea Polynyas A. Timofeeva et al. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001433825701336
- Constraining Uncertainties in CMIP5 Projections of September Arctic Sea Ice Extent with Observations D. Senftleben et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0075.1
- Identification, characteristics and dynamics of Arctic extreme seasons K. Hartmuth et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-3-89-2022
- Estimation of fast ice thickness multiyear variability in the Russian Arctic seas according to polar stations data A. Timofeeva et al. https://doi.org/10.30758/0555-2648-2023-69-3-310-330
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- Skill of medium-range reforecast for summertime extraordinary Arctic Cyclones in 1986–2016 A. Yamagami et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polar.2019.02.003
- Frequency-Compensated Network for Daily Arctic Sea Ice Concentration Prediction J. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2025.3564457
- Satellite passive microwave sea-ice concentration data set intercomparison: closed ice and ship-based observations S. Kern et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3261-2019
- Improving Arctic Sea-Ice Thickness Estimates with the Assimilation of CryoSat-2 Summer Observations C. Min et al. https://doi.org/10.34133/olar.0025
- Mid-Winter Breakout of Landfast Sea Ice and Major Storm Leads to Significant Ice Push Event Along Chukchi Sea Coastline R. Bogardus et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00344
- Remote Sensing of Ice Phenology and Dynamics of Europe’s Largest Coastal Lagoon (The Curonian Lagoon) R. Idzelytė et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs11172059
- Annual Cycles of Sea Ice Motion and Deformation Derived From Buoy Measurements in the Western Arctic Ocean Over Two Ice Seasons R. Lei et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015310
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- Extracting sea-ice in the arctic by integrating microwave scattering mechanisms with superpixel-based synergistic constraints Z. Song et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2026.09.039
- Comparisons of sea ice motion and deformation, and their responses to ice conditions and cyclonic activity in the western Arctic Ocean between two summers R. Lei et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2019.102925
- Surface Freshwater Fluxes in the Arctic and Subarctic Seas during Contrasting Years of High and Low Summer Sea Ice Extent S. Hall et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13081570
- Validation of remote-sensing products of sea-ice motion: a case study in the western Arctic Ocean D. Gui et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.49
- Extreme weather and climate events in northern areas: A review J. Walsh et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103324
- Divergence of Arctic shrub growth associated with sea ice decline A. Buchwal et al. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2013311117
- Medium‐Range Forecast Skill for Extraordinary Arctic Cyclones in Summer of 2008–2016 A. Yamagami et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077278
- Underwater sound to probe sea ice melting in the Arctic during winter M. Mahanty et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-72917-4
- Two modes of extreme central Arctic sea ice reduction: temperature advection and sea ice motion dominance Z. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-026-08052-z
- Probability assessments of an ice-free Arctic: Comparing statistical and climate model projections F. Diebold & G. Rudebusch https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2020.12.007
- Statistical predictability of the Arctic sea ice volume anomaly: identifying predictors and optimal sampling locations L. Ponsoni et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2409-2020
- Subseasonal to seasonal Arctic sea-ice prediction: A grand challenge of climate science K. Wei et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aosl.2021.100052
- Satellite passive microwave sea-ice concentration data set inter-comparison for Arctic summer conditions S. Kern et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2469-2020
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 31 Oct 2026
Short summary
There was significant scientific and media attention surrounding Arctic sea ice in 2016, due primarily to the record-warm air temperatures and low sea ice conditions observed at the start of the year. Here we quantify and assess the record-low monthly sea ice cover in winter, spring and fall, and the lack of record-low sea ice conditions in summer. We explore the primary drivers of these monthly sea ice states and explore the implications for improved summer sea ice forecasting.
There was significant scientific and media attention surrounding Arctic sea ice in 2016, due...
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