Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) vs US Solar Energy Consumption

Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) and US Solar Energy Consumption correlate at r = -0.50 over 43 years (1983–2025), p = 6.8e-4. With the time trend removed, r = +0.33. Direction flips without the trend.

Verdict: Direction flips without the trend. The raw correlation is -0.50, but once each series' time trend is removed it becomes 0.33. The year-to-year movements run the opposite way to the long-run trends, so the headline number is misleading.

Pearson r: -0.50
p-value: 6.8e-4
Years compared (n): 43 (1983–2025)
95% confidence interval: -0.69 to -0.23
Correlation with the time trend removed: +0.33

Sources

Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) (million km²): NSIDC. Mean Arctic sea ice extent in September, the yearly minimum (NSIDC Sea Ice Index).
US Solar Energy Consumption (TWh): Our World in Data. US Solar Energy Consumption (Our World in Data: Solar).

Related pairs

US Solar Energy Consumption vs US R&D Expenditure (r = +0.94)
US Solar Energy Consumption vs US Population Aged 65+ (r = +0.94)
Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) vs US Mobile Subscriptions (r = -0.92)
Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) vs US Resident Patent Applications (r = -0.91)
Arctic Sea Ice Extent (September) vs US Adult Obesity (r = -0.91)
US Solar Energy Consumption vs US Wind Power Generation (r = +0.91)

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