Annual cycle for a selected period (start month July)

Using this interactive graphic, with just a few clicks you can view the annual sea-ice cover development in the Arctic or Antarctic in any given year from 1972 to the present and compare individual years. The time axis goes from July of a given year to June of the following year, so that the change of years appears in the middle of the graphic.
To specify which years and reference periods are displayed, use the settings on the right. A variety of display options are available. For an explanation of each function, simply hover over the symbols in the top right-hand corner briefly with your cursor.

You can also download your most recently viewed graphic in PNG format (click on the last symbol in the top right-hand corner). In the top left-hand corner, you can switch back and forth between the Arctic and Antarctic. To reset to default settings, simply click the refresh button.