The extent of sea ice blanketing the Arctic this winter fell to the lowest level on record, researchers announced this week, an ominous signal about the effects of climate change in the world’s fastest-warming region.

STORY: A new report this week indicates that Arctic sea ice has likely hit its lowest point in 47 years of satellite records.According to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center, this year's maximum sea ice extent is a little over half a million square miles below the average between 1981 and 2010.

Last weekend, on March 22, the Arctic Sea reached its maximum coverage of ice for the winter season and it is the lowest since satellite records began 47 years ago. The sea ice covered 14.33 million square kilometers (5.