Arctic sea ice had its weakest winter buildup since record-keeping began 47 years ago. Scientists say it's a symptom of climate change that will have repercussions in weather globally.

The amount of springtime sea ice in the Arctic set a record low this month, continuing a trend of shrinking ice at the top of the world.

Just 5.53 million square miles of ice had formed as of March 22, the smallest maximum extent since satellite records began in the 1970s.