Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) vs US Adult Obesity

Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) and US Adult Obesity correlate at r = -0.91 over 45 years (1980–2024), p < 0.0001. With the time trend removed, r = -0.27. Likely spurious (shared time trend).

Verdict: Likely spurious (shared time trend). Both series mostly just trend over time. After removing that trend the correlation collapses to -0.27 — the relationship is probably coincidental, not causal.

Pearson r: -0.91
p-value: < 0.0001
Years compared (n): 45 (1980–2024)
95% confidence interval: -0.95 to -0.83
Correlation with the time trend removed: -0.27

Sources

Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) (million km²): NSIDC. Mean Arctic sea ice extent in September, the yearly minimum (NSIDC Sea Ice Index).
US Adult Obesity (% of adults): Our World in Data. US Adult Obesity (Our World in Data: Obesity among adults, BMI >= 30 kg/m2 (crude estimate) (%) - Sex: both sexes - Age group: 18+ years of age).

Related pairs

US Adult Obesity vs US Population (r = +1.00)
US Median Age vs US Adult Obesity (r = +0.99)
US Marriage Rate vs US Adult Obesity (r = -0.98)
US Adult Obesity vs US Resident Patent Applications (r = +0.98)
US Adult Obesity vs US Mobile Subscriptions (r = +0.98)
US Adult Obesity vs US Internet Users (r = +0.98)

Correlation does not imply causation. How the verdict is worked out.