11 SEPTEMBER 2012, NORTH OF ARCTIC CIRCLE -The Greenpeace ship MY Arctic Sunrise is on an expedition to the Arctic to document the lowest sea ice level on record. Two polar bears walk on ice flow in the foreground.
Scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) release preliminary figures suggesting that Arctic sea ice has reached the lowest recorded extent since records began in 1979. The data indicates that on September 16th Arctic ice extent covered 3.41 m km2 - a drop of at least 45% since records began.