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Climate1979–2026million km²

Arctic sea ice extent in March

Average Arctic sea ice extent in March, the month of maximum ice cover, from the NSIDC Sea Ice Index, since 1979.

14.13 million km²World · 2026

NSIDC Sea Ice Index, version 4Retrieved: 2026-11-05
Saved data version: retrieved 2026-11-05, ID a9484a7abb4eWarehouse version at build: v45
Data coverage
  • World: 1979–2026; observations: 48; missing years: 0

Missing years are counted between the first and last observations. A missing value is not zero.

World

48 rows for World

Time range:
14.0014.5015.0015.5016.0016.5019801990200020102020202614.13
Year

Tap the chart or pick a year to read the values.

World

Period statistics

Calculated from the values shown in this view for the selected period. Statistics follow the active display mode.

World

16.34→14.13

Total change
−13.5 %
Annual growth (CAGR)
−0.3 %
Period
1979–2026

World: 16.34 (1979) → 14.13 (2026). Change of −13.5 % over 47 years. Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of −0.3 % per year.

Compare on chart

Format:
Arctic sea ice extent in March — World
YearCountryValue
2026World14.13 million km²
2025World14.12 million km²
2024World14.87 million km²
2023World14.43 million km²
2022World14.59 million km²
2021World14.66 million km²
2020World14.73 million km²
2019World14.57 million km²
2018World14.3 million km²
2017World14.29 million km²
2016World14.4 million km²
2015World14.37 million km²
2014World14.76 million km²
2013World15.03 million km²
2012World15.2 million km²
2011World14.55 million km²
2010World15.14 million km²
2009World14.98 million km²
2008World15.18 million km²
2007World14.54 million km²
Source
NSIDC Sea Ice Index, version 4
Licence
Free use with citation (NSIDC)
Published by source
—
Retrieved
2026-11-05
Indicator code in source
N_03_extent_v4.0
Unit of measure
million km²
Data version
v45

Cite

Longseries, “Arctic sea ice extent in March”. NSIDC Sea Ice Index, version 4 (N_03_extent_v4.0), 1979–2026, World. Fetterer, F., K. Knowles, W. N. Meier, M. Savoie, A. K. Windnagel and T. Stafford (2025), Sea Ice Index (G02135, Version 4), Boulder, Colorado USA, NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center, doi:10.7265/a98x-0f50. Retrieved 2026-11-05. Free use with citation (NSIDC). Data version v45. Data SHA-256: a9484a7abb4e1c157056f36418d2247df9ee9994ddc511f7285d532e308b9838. https://longseries.com/en/d/climate-arctic-sea-ice-march/

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No source revisions recorded yet — revisions are logged when an official source updates historical values.

Latest values

1 place — sorted by value, highest first
Country
World202614.13 million km²14.1M km²

About this series

Sea Ice Index v4 (NSIDC): Northern Hemisphere sea ice extent, March monthly mean, 1979–. A March year joins the series once the month has ended.

Indicator definition

Area of the ocean where at least 15% of the surface is covered by ice, in million km². March is usually the Arctic's peak ice cover before summer. Compare with September: Arctic sea ice extent in September.

How to read the data

March extent declines more slowly than September extent, because winter stays dark and cold. The gap between the March peak and the September minimum is the ice melted over the summer. Single winters vary a lot.

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