Japanese Satellite Shows Arctic Ice Melting at Record Pace
By wchung | 24 May, 2026

The summer melting of Arctic ice has reached the fastest pace on record, according to satellite images from Shizuka, a satellite launched in May by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Unlike all prior years, in which the melting of Arctic ice slows down in August, this year the rate of melting has continued unabated. At the current rate of melting, the surface area of the polar ice cap would shrink to below the low point of 4.25 million square kilometers recorded in 2007.

As of Aug. 18 the Arctic ice surface had been shrunk to around 4.66 million square kilometers 10 days earlier than in 2007. That represents the fastest rate since data collection began in 1978. Shizuku imaging showed that areas of mixed ice and water had appeared in July, a one month earlier than usual.

Arctic sea ice is classified into thick multiyear ice that has taken years to form, and thinner ice formed during the past year. The total area of multiyear ice has been steadily declining in recent years. This spring young year-old ice comprised over half of Arctic sea ice, including that at the North Pole, leading to the greater melting seen this summer.

Scientists have been unable to discern a reason for this year’s faster melting of Arctic sea ice.