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Did Arctic ice 'just' reach its highest point in 20 years in December of 2021?

By Marlo Lee
NO

A social media post making the claim apparently stems from a seven-year-old article.

Up-to-date satellite records from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which monitors the ice in the Arctic, show significant declines since the satellites first began measuring in 1978. The last 15 years are the lowest the satellite has seen in its 43 years of recording.

The post refers to conditions in both the Arctic and Antarctica. Data collected by The National Aeronautics and Space Administration directly refutes the claim as to Arctic ice:

"Sea ice in the Arctic appears to have hit its annual minimum extent on Sept. 16, after waning in the 2021 Northern Hemisphere spring and summer. The summertime extent is the 12th lowest in the satellite record, according to scientists at the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center and NASA."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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