Arctic ice
had been growing
from the 1940s
to mid-1970s.
Satellite coverage
began in 1979,
after the ice had been
growing for 35 years
( even as global CO2
levels increased ).
1979 was a "great"
starting point, if you
only wanted to show
Arctic ice was melting.
Svalbard is in the
northern part of the
Barents Sea, which
stretches from chilly
Murmansk to bleak
Franz Josef Land.
Svalbard is in the
cold northern part
of this very cold
northern area.
If Arctic ice
is still melting,
then why is the ice
around Svalbard
island at its
highest level
since 1988 ?
In the southern part,
of the Barents Sea,
Bjørnøya (Bear Island)
typically celebrates
Easter surrounded
by open water.
But this year,
for the first time
in 11 years,
Bear Island was
surrounded in
pack ice as late
as April.
Global ice extent
in March 2020
was higher than
any March in the
last five years.
More ice = global warming ?