Never so little sea ice in Antarctica in the last 45 years: the negative record was recorded last February 21, when the minimum annual extension of 1.79 million square kilometers was reached, the lowest documented by satellites since 1979 Today. The previous negative record was set in 2022 with 1.9 million square kilometres. This was announced by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) of the University of Colorado in Boulder with a bulletin that is still provisional, considering that “the change in winds or the melting at the end of the season could further reduce the extent of the ice Antarctic”.
This year’s minimum sea ice extent is 1.05 million square kilometers below the 1981-2010 average and, moreover, it was reached three days early.
Most of the remaining ice is found in the Weddell Sea, with isolated blocks along the coasts of Princess Astrid and Princess Ragnhild, in the eastern regions of Wilkes Land, and in Pine Island Bay.
Broadening our gaze to what has happened in recent years, 2017 and 2018 also showed very small ice extensions, respectively the third and fourth lowest recorded so far by satellites. This trend suggests that global warming is now also affecting the ice around Antarctica, but to have a statistically significant confirmation it will be necessary to collect data over a longer period of time.
Source: Ansa
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