Arctic ice melts to near-record lows

A blistering summer melted Arctic sea ice to near-record lows, a trajectory that scientists say could reduce ice coverage in the polar region to its lowest since satellite measurements were first taken in 1979.

That’s the grim assessment delivered Thursday by the National Climatic Data Center, which also calculated that global temperatures last month made it the eighth-warmest August on record, part of a general warming trend.

The ice melt in August was the second most extensive, and with a few more weeks left of melting, it’s possible that the record lows of 2007 could be matched, according to Jake Crouch, a climate scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Measurements show Arctic ice covering 1.67 million square miles, well below the average minimum of 2.59 million. Scientists monitor the summer ice melt to gauge the effects of human-caused climate change. Some computer models predict the Arctic could be ice-free by mid-century.

Thursday’s report also underscored increasingly wild weather patterns. The U.S. experienced weather-related disasters that caused $10 billion in damage during 2011, another record.

With the hurricane season under way, that number could rise, Crouch said.