The ice-covered area in the seas around Antarctica is smaller than it has been since satellite-based measurements began about 45 years ago. On February 16 – and therefore before the end of the summer melting period – the total extent of the sea ice was only 2.06 million square kilometers.
That is even less than the previous record minimum in February 2022, as reported by the climate change service of the European Earth observation program Copernicus. The numbers confirm information from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), which said its size was just 1.79 million square miles last month. Copernicus attributes the difference to “different algorithms for determining the sea ice”.
No influence on sea level
It is currently summer in the southern hemisphere. The ice in Antarctica retreats each summer and recovers in the winter. It does not directly affect sea levels because the ice is already floating in the water.
But the melting of the ice sheet causes the waves to attack the Antarctic ice sheet. The ice sheet — a thick freshwater glacier covering Antarctica — is being closely watched by scientists because it contains enough water to cause a catastrophic rise in sea levels if it melts.
Melting contributes to global warming
The shrinking ice cover is also concerning because it contributes to the acceleration of global warming – including in the Arctic. According to Copernicus, Antarctic pack ice in February 2023 was “34 percent below average.”
According to Copernicus data, it is the eighth consecutive year that February sea ice cover in the Southern Ocean has been below the long-term average. This leads to fears that the South Pole is beginning to show a clear trend toward reduction in pack ice.
Unlike the Arctic, where sea ice has been declining sharply since the late 1970s, the Antarctic has been relatively stable for decades – despite strong annual fluctuations.
Source: Krone
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