Skip to navigation | Skip to content  Arctic ocean covered by
thin ice  Arctic sea ice  The Arctic ice shelf could be
seasonally ice free within five years, says one researcher
(Source: Reuters)  Recent measurements of sea ice in the Arctic
Ocean have found that it has melted to its lowest volume in
recorded history.  Although the area of Arctic sea ice is
greater than at the corresponding period in 2007 - the lowest
coverage ever - experts are concerned that it may be much
thinner.  Dr Walt Meier of US National Snow and Ice Data Center
and colleagues say the overall ice volume in the Arctic Ocean is
at least as low as 2007, and may even have dwindled more by as
far as 10%.  Meier says this makes the ice more prone to melting
than ever before.  Steady decline  The area of ocean that sea
ice covers can vary dramatically from year to year, so
scientists look at ice volume as a long-term indicator of the
"health" of the ice.  Since satellite measurements began 30
years ago, it has been in steady decline.  "The l