Record-setting ice and snow loss observed in the Arctic

Science : At this week’s annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco, scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that in 2012 the Arctic experienced new record lows for summer sea ice, spring snow cover, and the Greenland ice sheetâmdash;despite the fact that air temperatures were not unusually high this year relative to the past decade. “The Arctic is changing in both predictable and unpredictable ways, so we must expect surprises,” said Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator, in a press release . The announcement was based on NOAA’s 2012 Arctic Report Card , which incorporates the work of 141 scientists from 15 countries.