[evilgenius]

I tried to say I didn't see a record this year. I probably hemmed and hawed too much. What I am wondering about is what is happening throughout the rest of the globe. This year has been truly amazing for natural changes that reflect something about climate change, everywhere but the Arctic.

Why not the Arctic? Was some system in place that cut it off from what happened elsewhere? Did the weather patterns do something unexpected in the rest of the world that didn't need to involve the Arctic? What feedbacks fed mostly into the heat waves? Were they in place because the Arctic was cooler?

[evilgenius]

The NSIDC site says it was low pressure over the Beaufort Sea. That makes sense.

[jawagord]

The Arctic ice numbers are in, NSIDC has waved the white towel on 2021, highest minimum in the last 7 years, 12th place on that list of lowests (sat records). Plant et al have 7 months off before prognosticating season 2022 starts in earnest!

Arctic sea ice at highest minimum since 2014. On September 16, Arctic sea ice likely reached its annual minimum extent of 4.72 million square kilometers (1.82 million square miles). The 2021 minimum is the twelfth lowest in the nearly 43-year satellite record.

https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2021 ... ince-2014/