Some Arctic sea ice is thinning twice as fast as previously thought

By Adam Vaughan

Some regions of Arctic sea ice are thinning up to twice as fast as previously thought, according to measurements that account for how climate change is affecting snow.

For decades, rising global temperatures have been causing a decline in sea ice extent, which is closely and accurately mapped. But there is far greater uncertainty about the thickness of the ice, which is a crucial figure to understand because thinner ice is more prone to melt in summer.

Typically, we have estimated the thickness of sea …