There was less sea ice coverage in the Arctic this winter than in any year since satellite measurements began nearly four decades ago, researchers said Thursday. The National Snow and Ice Data Center, a government-sponsored research group, said that in late February ice cover in the Arctic Ocean reached its maximum extent, 5.61 million square miles, which is about 7 percent less than the average from 1981 to 2010 and about 1 percent less than the previous lowest year, 2011. The center said that changes in the jet stream created warmer than normal conditions on the Pacific side of the Arctic. While the extent of Arctic sea ice is naturally variable, it has been generally declining over the past several decades as the region warms more quickly than other parts of the planet.
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