File:Date of first melt of Arctic Sea ice.png

English: These maps show the date of first melting of the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean for the years 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 up to June 18. They show that in 2008 the sea ice started melting sooner than previous years, including 2005 and 2007 which saw the sea ice melt back to record minimum extents. Early melt onset exposes the snow and ice to more days with low reflectance. It also increases the exposure during the critical early summer season, when solar energy is at its peak. This combination enhances ice-albedo feedback (absorption of heat from the sun). In 2007, some areas of the Arctic absorbed eight times as much heat because of the ice-albedo feedback, contributing heavily to last year’s record-breaking melt. The earlier start of melting this year, coupled with the 2008 sea ice pack being comprised of much more relatively thin first-year ice, suggest that another record low minimum may be reached when the Arctic sea ice reaches its minimum low level, which usually occurs in September.^[1]