From NSIDC: Arctic sea ice reaches minimum extent for 2014 September 22, 2014
On September 17, Arctic sea ice reached its likely minimum extent for 2014. This is now the sixth lowest extent in the satellite record and reinforces the long-term downward trend in Arctic ice extent. Sea ice extent will now begin its seasonal increase through autumn and winter. Meanwhile, sea ice in the Antarctic has surpassed the previous record maximum extent set in 2013 and is now more than 20 million square kilometers (7.72 million square miles) for the first time in the past thirty-five years. It is too soon to determine if Antarctic sea ice has reached its annual maximum.
Please note that this is a preliminary announcement. Changing winds in the Arctic could still push ice floes together, reducing Arctic ice extent below the current yearly minimum. NSIDC scientists will release a full analysis of the Arctic melt season, and discuss the Antarctic winter sea ice growth, in early October.
Source: http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
Here is the NSIDC graph showing the turn. The 2014 minimum has stayed within 2 standard deviations.
![N_stddev_timeseries[1]](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/n_stddev_timeseries1.png?quality=75)
Since NSIDC does not give the daily data (at least the last time I looked), here is the daily data from JAXA and their graph showing the turn:
Here is the data from 9-10-14 to 9-21-14
9-10 5000248
9-11 4987733
9-12 4935847
9-13 4902691
9-14 4904059
9-15 4888765
9-16 4886207
9-17 4884120
9-18 4898064
9-19 4927138
9-20 4975912
9-21 5021767
It appears the minimum was on Sept 17th with 4.884120 million square kilometers. That makes it higher than 2013 (4.824927) and 2012 (3.177455).
The JAXA graph shows how the value fares with other averages and the two years of lowest extent:
![Sea_Ice_Extent_v2_L[1]](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/sea_ice_extent_v2_l1.png?quality=75)
And a zoom in on another JAXA graph showing the minimums back to 2002:
Meanwhile, the Antarctic is setting new records:
![S_stddev_timeseries[3]](https://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/s_stddev_timeseries3.png?quality=75)
There are more graphs and comparisons at the WUWT Sea Ice Page
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As Archie Bunker would have pointed out: “Jeez meat head, everyone knows that heat rises to the top so that’s why the ice on the top of the earth is melting more than the ice down on the bottom…”
Come across this site and purchased a steam shower and never looked back
again, really good content on this site can not give thanks enough
Stephen Rasey September 24, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Take it up with the Canadian Geographic Society. It is their map and their plot for “Amundsen 1906″ goes right by Resolute. Maybe they were sloppy and it should have been marked 1904-1906. The point being part of that plotted route, Peel Sound, south of Resolute, has been iced in all year 2014.
Actually should have been 1903-1906, the point being that Amundsen made it to Gjoa Havn in 1903 when Peel sound was open, then was iced in until summer 1905. In August 1905 he got enough of an opening to make a dash through the southern passage and got to King’s Point where he was iced in for a third winter. his voyage was done piecemeal there is no evidence that at any time was the route completely clear, certainly not like it has been in recent years.
9/25 M/V NUNAVIK heads west. NorthwestPassage2014 blog has route plot, ice maps, and photo from the ship.
The 9/25 Queen Maud has much more ice cover than on 9/24. But the NUNAVIK chose to go west in the Perry Channel to Prince of Wales Sound. This is Route 2, Taken westward by 11 previous ships in 70 years. First passage in 1944.
NUNAVIK in the Prince of Wales Sound. Ice packed up on east side of the strait. Clear sailing very soon.
http://www.fednav.com/sites/default/files/styles/blog_image/public/day8_7.jpg?itok=YGn7XhV-
NUNAVIK in the Beaufort Sea.
The Northwest Passage 2014 blog has a summary of all the vessels that made the made the transit and those wintering over. Two vessels made a west to east passage, Seven made an east to west passage. All vessels took Route 6 except NUNAVIK who could break ice in Route 2.
M/V NUNAVIK log: rounded Pt. Barrow and is in the Chukchi Sea
M/V NUNAVIK crossed the Arctic Circle some time on Oct. 1, thus officially completing the NW Passage.
Their log had this interesting bit about the
Wikipedia Geology section says in part:
There are 4 ore bodies totaling about 90 million metric tons of 15-24% zinc. [!!]
The Economics section says that the native Alaskan Tribes receive a 4.5% royalty until mine capital payout (which happened in 2007), then 25% increasing 5% per year to 50% royalty [which must be where it is today]. This is worth several hundred million dollars per year to the native corporations.
[I wonder whether that is a 50% royalty on gross revenue or on net profits. If the former, it shortens the life of the mine considerably.]