The Arctic 's sea ice melted at a record pace in 2012, the ninth-hottest year on record, compounding concerns about climate change underscored by extreme weather such as Hurricane Sandy, the U.N. weather agency said Thursday.

In a report on the situation in 2012, the World Meterological Organization said that during the August to September melting season, the Arctic 's sea ice cover was just 3.4 million square kilometers (1.32 million square miles) -- a full 18% less than the previous record low set in 2007.

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