Arctic sea ice plunges to record winter low after freak polar 'heatwaves'

Welcome to the new normal: For the third straight year, Arctic sea ice peaked at a record low level during the winter season, scientists said Wednesday.  Arctic sea ice cover reached its annual peak extent on March 7, the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said, at 5.57 million square miles. This is the lowest in the 38-year satellite record, and very likely far longer than that based on other data. This year's peak was about 37,000 miles less than the 2015 record. When compared to t