Arctic sea ice that has melted this summer alone has proven to be the second lowest level on record. So fortunately this summer didn’t break any new records caused by global warming after all. The alarming thing however is the fact that scientists still fear that the worst is yet to come.

The sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has decreased to the second lowest level recorded ever since satellite measurements were first taken in 1979. According to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, the ice covered 1.74 million square miles on Friday, marking a low point for this summer. The absolute record was reached last year, with 1.6 million sq miles of sea ice.

Further loss of Arctic ice will make the whole Earth to heat up because warmer radiation will only be absorbed by darker seawater and snow-free land without the help of ice in the Arctic that reflects energy from the Sun straight back out into space. Temperatures in the Arctic have risen much faster than the global average in recent decades. This also affects the fauna of the polar region. Because polar bears for instance use sea ice floes as platforms for hunting seals and if the ice is gone they are forced to swim longer distances, making them more likely to tire and drown.

"We didn't have any of these this year, and yet we still came within 10% of the record; so people might be tempted to call it a recovery, but I don't think that's a good term, we're still on a downwards trend towards ice-free Arctic summers," said Walt Meier, a research scientist at NSIDC in Boulder, Colorado when referring to the slightly better weather conditions they had throughout this year’s summer.