The average extent was 2.55 million square kilometers (980,000 square miles) below the October 1981 to 2010 long-term average.Īs of early November, extent remains especially low within the Beaufort, Chukchi, East Siberian, and Kara Seas. This is 400,000 square kilometers (154,400 square miles) lower than October 2007, the second lowest October extent, and 690,000 square kilometers (266,400 square miles) lower than October 2012, the third lowest. In October 2016, Arctic sea ice extent averaged 6.40 million square kilometers (2.5 million square miles), the lowest October in the satellite record. About the dataĬredit: National Snow and Ice Data Center

The black cross indicates the geographic North Pole. The magenta line shows the 1981 to 2010 median extent for that month. Arctic sea ice extent for October 2016 was 6.40 million square kilometers (2.5 million square miles).