Advertisement2016 Was The Hottest Year Yet, Scientists DeclareJanuary 18, 2017Nell GreenfieldboycefacebookEmailChunks of Arctic sea ice, melt ponds and open water are all seen in this image captured by NASA's Digital Mapping System instrument during an Operation IceBridge flight over the Chukchi Sea in July 2016. Last year was particularly bad for Arctic sea ice. (NASA/Goddard/Operation IceBridge)