"Sea ice extent around Arctic was the sixth lowest on record as well".
"Sea ice levels around Antarctica just registered a record low — and by a wide margin — as winter comes to a close, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). This significant milestone adds worry that Antarctic sea ice may be entering a state of decline brought on by climate change.
“There is some concern that this may be the beginning of a long-term trend of decline for Antarctic sea ice, since oceans are warming globally, and warm water mixing in the Southern Ocean polar layer could continue,” read the NSIDC announcement released Monday.
Sea ice around the polar regions grows and melts with the seasons. In Antarctica, sea ice typically hits its minimum coverage at the end of the Southern Hemisphere’s summer around February. It reaches its maximum extent at the end of winter in mid- to late September. This February, scientists reported Antarctic floating sea ice hit an all-time low at the end of the summer — and sea ice growth continued to remain slow through winter."
Kasha Patel reports for the Washington Post September 25, 2023.
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