Warming shrinks Arctic Ocean ice to 2nd lowest on record

UNDATED (AP)- U.S. scientists report that ice in the Arctic Ocean melted to its second lowest level on record this summer. The National Snow and Ice Data Center’s figures released Monday show that sea ice extended only 1.4 million square miles last week when it reached its annual low mark for the summer. That may sound like a lot, but in the 1980s ice cover was always at least 1 million square miles bigger at the end of the summer. This year is second only to 2012, but it was close. Scientists say this is due to climate change, with some natural variability.