Arctic sea ice is the ice that covers the Arctic Ocean and reaches its minimum extent (lowest amount of ice for the year) in September. The minimum extent of Arctic sea ice varies from year to year and has been declining over the past decades due to global warming. According to satellite observations, the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice in 2022 was 4.67 million square kilometers (1.80 million square miles)¹, which is the second lowest extent since modern record-keeping began².