Arctic winter sea ice may shrink far more than models predict

A study in Nature Geoscience suggests Arctic winter sea ice could decline by about 1 million square kilometers more than previously projected. Researchers calibrated 27 climate models against sediment evidence from a warm period 6,000 years ago and found the models overestimated winter ice extent.

• Winter ice loss may exceed projections by 1 million km²
• Models were tested against mid-Holocene (~6,000 years ago) data
• Simulations from 27 climate models were compared
• Findings published in Nature Geoscience