Google Earth has put together an animated collection of images revealing how the Arctic ice has shrunk since 1979.

According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, this year, the frozen cover is the second smallest it has been since record keeping began. The worst year was 2007. In addition, the ice sheet is thinning, 80% of the icy body now consisting of “the youngest, thinnest ice, which has survived only one or two melt season” (NSIDC statement).

Despite claims that global warming is not real, we can see the impact quite clearly through these images.