Arctic Expedition Finds Lack of Thick, Multi-Year Ice on Ocean

The leader of an expedition measuring sea ice thickness in the Arctic says that his team discovered far less of the thick, semi-permanent ice that once covered much of the Arctic Ocean. Pen Hadow, head of the Catlin Arctic Survey Team, said that the average thickness of the ice along their 270-mile route was six feet, as opposed to the 10-foot-thick ice scientists had predicted the team would discover. The three-member team was airlifted from the ice Wednesday after a 73-day trip from northern Canada toward the North Pole. Along the way, the expedition made 1,500 sea ice measurements. Hadow said that the data “raises more questions than it answers,” but the expedition’s findings are in line with other research showing that thick, multi-year Arctic sea ice is disappearing and being replaced by thinner, seasonal ice. That ice is far more likely to melt in summer, a key reason why the extent of Arctic sea ice is at record historic lows, covering roughly half as much of the Arctic Ocean as in 1950.