The extent of summer sea ice in Antarctica has reached a new record minimum. Satellite data showed that by February 19, 2023, only about two million square miles of the Southern Ocean was covered by sea ice.
Eleven days earlier, at 2.2 million square kilometers, the lowest level since measurements began in 1979 was recorded, according to Lars Kaleschke, sea ice expert at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven. As expected, the decline continued through the summer melt period. The previous minimum of February 24, 2022 (2.27 million square kilometers) was again undershot.
Annual sea ice cover in Antarctica peaks in September or October and decreases in February. According to the AWI, the long-term average at maximum expansion is up to 20 million square kilometers. It usually shrinks to about 3 million square kilometers.
Changes in Antarctica relevant to climate
It is still unclear whether the negative record values in 2022 and 2023 heralded a statistically significant trend, Kaleschke said. This requires further data for the coming years. However, the development largely goes hand in hand with what scientists have calculated with climate models for Antarctica. Antarctica has an even stronger influence on the global climate than the Arctic, so the changes there are particularly relevant.
Source: Krone
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