February 2026 Update

02/01/26 UPDATE

Re: Chapter 2.1(E) MELTING ICE

Melt ponds formed over the surface of Arctic ice. Image credit: Jeremy Mathis/NOAA

Some more bad news: Dust from the ice-free margins of Greenland, which are expanding due to global warming, is blown by winds onto the ice sheet. The dust contains phosphorus and other nutrients that promote the growth of algae on the glaciers. Because of their dark color, the algae promote warming and melting of the ice (a positive feedback for warming). The algae cause an estimated 13% of the surface ice melting. The area of ice colonized by algae is likely to increase as warming continues.

UPDATED FIGURE 13, showing the Arctic sea ice extent minimum during September with added time points for 2024 and 2025, from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. In 2025, the total sea ice coverage was the 10th-lowest on record.

Map images show the minimum Arctic Sea ice in 1979, 2020, and 2025, as derived from satellites’ passive microwave data. Image credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, downloaded from https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4867 and https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5583.