State of the Climate in 2006 Executive Summary

Authors

A. Arguez, National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina; WAPLE—NOAA/NESDIS National Climatic Data Center (STG Inc.), Asheville, North Carolina
A.M. Waple, NOAA/ NCDC
A.M. Sanchez-Lugo, National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina; WAPLE—NOAA/NESDIS National Climatic Data Center (STG Inc.), Asheville, North Carolina

Date of this Version

6-2007

Comments

Published in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Volume 88, Issue 6 (June 2007); DOI: 10.1175/BAMS-88-6-929

Abstract

On the heels of 2005’s record-breaking weather events, 2006 was also a year of records. This was especially the case over the polar regions, where the largest Antarctic ozone hole on record occurred in 2006. Sea ice extent in the Antarctic reached records at times for both maximum and minimum extent, and in the Arctic, scientists observed the second smallest sea ice extent on record (behind 2005). These record events came as attention to the polar regions gained greater focus, thanks in large part to the International Polar Year, during which an unprecedented effort is underway to monitor the Arctic and Antarctic from March 2007 through March 2009.