News Earth Arctic sea ice hits record low, and keeps going Summer storm and thin ice probably contributed to massive melt By Alexandra Witze August 28, 2012 at 5:04 pm - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print With weeks still left in the summer melt season, the Arctic Ocean’s floating skin of ice has already shrunk to a record minimum. Arctic sea ice (shown in white) covered 4.10 million square kilometers on August 26, surpassing the previous record low set on September 18, 2007.