WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2019) Ice covering the Arctic Ocean shrunk to its lowest level ever recorded in the month of April with a similar decline surrounding the South Pole, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said on Monday.
"April 2019 [Arctic] sea ice extent was 8.4 percent below the 1981-2010 average, the smallest April sea ice extent since satellite records began in 1979," the NOAA said in a press release.
Nations bordering the Arctic are preparing for an eventual opening of summer shipping routes through the region, which would cut thousands of miles off journeys that rely on the Panama or Suez Canals.
NOAA also reported that sea ice coverage in the Antarctic region was 16.6 percent below the 1981-2010 average, the third smallest area on records dating from 1979.
In addition, NOAA reported that last month was the second warmest April recorded on measurements going back to 1880.
