This new record low is yet another indicator of how Arctic sea ice has fundamentally changed from earlier decades,” said NSIDC senior research scientist Walt Meier, in a statement. “But even more importantly than the record low is that this year adds yet another data point to the continuing long-term loss of Arctic sea ice in all seasons.

STORY: A new report this week indicates that Arctic sea ice has likely hit its lowest point in 47 years of satellite records.According to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, this year's maximum sea ice extent is a little over half a million square miles below the average between 1981 and 2010.

The extent of sea ice blanketing the Arctic this winter fell to the lowest level on record, researchers announced this week, an ominous signal about the effects of climate change in the world’s fastest-warming region.