Arctic sea ice thins in 2 big jumps, and now more vulnerable

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

Arctic sea ice is in trouble. A new study Wednesday says its thickness dropped sharply in two sudden events about 15 years ago. Sea ice is now less than half as thick as it was before 2007 and it’s much younger, too. That makes it weaker and more prone to melting. Scientists also say it’s more likely that the ice will continue to diminish than it will recover to what it once was. The research in the journal Nature cited the impact of climate change. It found that almost 20% of the Arctic sea ice was at least 13 feet thick before 2007. Now only about 10% is at least that thick.