Arctic sea ice age keeps getting younger

Arctic sea ice extent for March 2016 was the second lowest in the satellite record, coming behind March of 2015.
Image courtesy the NSIDC.

The reason for this low sea ice extent was a combination of persistent warmth, southerly winds and a higher influx of ocean heat from the Atlantic Ocean, according to the NSIDC report.
Ice getting younger and thinner
Arctic sea ice age continues to trend younger. According to the NSIDC, Mid-March data indicated that about 70 percent of the sea ice in the Arctic basin was thin, first-year ice compared to just 30 percent for thicker, multi-year ice.
Also, the oldest sea ice (5 years or older) is at its lowest level in the satellite record, representing just 3 percent of the total sea ice coverage in the Arctic basin.
Image courtesy of the NSIDC.

Young, thinner ice (generally 5 to 6.5 feet thick on average) is much more prone to completely melting out by the end of the melt season late in the summer.

Key statement from the NSIDC......
The bottom line is that ice no longer survives in the Arctic for very long. It is lasting three to four years tops before melting or advecting out through Fram Strait. This is a big change from the past when much of the ice cover would survive upwards of a decade.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com