From 2001....We wonder why the Arctic Sea ice waxes and wanes? Must be global warming>? Nah, more likely the shifting currents of the Pacific Ocean. But you say, the sea ice is at record low. Nah, has pretty much returned to ‘normal’ extent. But, but, it was lowest on record last summer, it will be totally gone in 20-30 years. Nah, the ‘records’ only go back to 1978, when the first sat to take daily pictures of Arcitc was sent up. Today, April 22, 2008, we have much more sea ice in Arctic than April 22, 2007.
Like fall and winter of 2000, this year’s (2001) TOPEX/Poseidon satellite data shows that the Pacific Ocean continues to be dominated by the strong Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which is larger than the El Niño/La Niña pattern. The data, taken during a ten-day collection cycle ending Oct. 29, 2001, show that the near-equatorial ocean has been very quiet in the past year, and sea levels and sea surface temperatures are near normal. Above-normal sea surface heights and warmer ocean temperatures, indicated by the red and white areas, still blanket the far western tropical Pacific and much of the north mid-Pacific.
Sea ice records go a lot further back than 1978.
Given the relatively cool Northern Hemisphere winter, there has been a good freeze of the Arctic Ocean, but it's mostly first-year ice. I'll be curious to see how much the Arctic sea ice melts this summer.