Arctic winter sea ice peaked at 5.2 million square miles in March, tying the record low set in 2025. NASA and NOAA scientists called the back-to-back lows a "stark signal" of a rapidly transforming Arctic, with profound implications for global climate systems. Arctic winter sea ice has tied the record low for the second consecutive year, scientists from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center announced Friday, delivering a stark warning about the accelerating pace of climate change in the Polar Regions. The ice reached its annual maximum extent on March 15, covering 5.2 million square miles tying the record low set in 2025 and falling significantly below the 1981-2010 average of 6.1 million square miles. The back-to-back lows mark the first time in recorded history that Arctic winter ice has hit record-low levels in consecutive years. "This is not a fluke. This is a trend," said NSIDC scientist Mark Serreze. "The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet, and what we are seeing is the inevitable result. The question is no longer whether the Arctic is changing, but how fast and with what consequences." The winter ice maximum typically reached ...