It can also be measured in thickness, and the two measures can be combined to calculate
the overall volume of ice.
It is not clear from these data how much greater
the overall volume of the ice is than previously thought.
Not exact matches
The thickness
of the
ice, and its
overall volume, may be a more important measure
of what is happening in the Arctic over the long term, even though it is not as simple to measure, said Overland.
From 1994 to 2003, the
overall loss
of ice shelf
volume across the continent was negligible: about 25 cubic kilometers per year (plus or minus 64).
The authors
of a new study reviewing the
volume data, detailed on Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience, are quick to caution, though, that one single year
of rebound doesn't suggest any sea
ice recovery, as the
overall trend is still downward.
The sea
ice recovery is just some natural variation on the
overall trend
of decreasing sea
ice volume, extent and area.