Arctic sea ice likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 4.15 million square kilometers (1.60 million square miles) on September 18, 2019, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The 2019 minimum is ranked at second lowest in the 40-year satellite record, effectively tied with 2007 and 2016.

Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder), has received the highest honor awarded to faculty across the CU system—distinguished professorship. In order to receive this distinction, candidates must demonstrate exemplary performance in research or creative work, have a record of excellence in classroom teaching and supervision of individual learning, and exhibit outstanding leadership and service to the profession. Only 106 faculty members have received the distinguished professorship since its inception in 1977.

Four National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) scientists, including Matt Druckenmiller, Alia Khan, Twila Moon, and Julienne Stroeve, are participating in the Arctic Futures 2050 Conference this week in Washington, D.C. The conference, which takes place from September 4 to 6 and is convened by the Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH), is dedicated to “exploring the knowledge needed to inform decisions concerning the Arctic in coming decades.”

NSIDC research scientist Twila Moon testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology today. Moon offered her expertise on the Greenland Ice Sheet during a hearing entitled “Earth’s Thermometers: Glacial and Ice Sheet Melt in a Changing Climate."