The average Arctic sea ice extent in August 2020 was 4.9 million km2, that is 2.6 million km2 (or 35%) below the 1981-2010 average for August. This was the third lowest extent recorded in August since the beginning of satellite observations in 1979, close to the second lowest extent recorded in 2019 (4.8 million km2). The lowest August extent occurred in 2012 at over 40% below average.
The map of sea ice concentrations for August 2020 shows below average sea ice concentration over most of the Arctic region. The largest negative anomalies are found in a band stretching from the area north of Svalbard eastward all the way to the Chukchi Sea. Ice-free conditions prevailed in the seas along the Siberian coastline indicating that the Northern Sea Route remained open throughout the month. Only the very central part of the Arctic and a small area in the Beaufort Sea showed average or slightly above average concentrations.
Antarctic sea ice extent reached 17.7 million km2 on average in August 2020, which was 0.1 million km2 (or about 0.3%) below the 1981-2010 average for August. The value is very close to average values for August and above the relatively low values observed in the previous three Augusts.
The map of sea ice concentration anomalies for the Antarctic region in August 2020 shows four large alternating sectors of above and below average sea ice concentrations along the sea ice edge. The pattern of anomalies was dominated by above average sea ice concentrations in the South Atlantic and western Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean and below average concentrations in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas, as well as in the central Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean. These alternating sectors of above and below sea ice concentrations are respectively associated with much below and much above average August temperatures over the Southern Ocean and adjacent parts of Antarctica. One exception is in the Bellinghausen Sea, west of the Antarctic Peninsula, which was colder than average despite lower than average sea ice concentrations.
The sea ice analysis page provides additional information about the nature, production and reliability of the data and information presented here.
The sea ice indicator page provides additional information about the long-term trends in both the Arctic and Antarctica.