For most of the winter, sea ice in the Arctic was at record lows, but cold March winds helped the ice expand just beyond the low set in 2017. Scientists from National Snow and Ice Data Center said Friday Arctic sea ice peaked at 5.59 million square miles (14.48 square kilometres). That’s 448,000 square miles (1,160,000 square kilometres) below normal. The last four years have seen the lowest sea ice maximums since satellite tracking began in 1979. Arctic sea ice helps moderate global climate.

Source: National Post March 23, 2018 18:33 UTC