Antarctic winter sea ice hits 'extreme' record low
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[September 26, 2023]
By Jake Spring
(Reuters) -Sea ice that packs the ocean around Antarctica hit record low
levels this winter, the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
said on Monday, adding to scientists' fears that the impact of climate
change at the southern pole is ramping up.
Researchers warn the shift can have dire consequences for animals like
penguins who breed and rear their young on the sea ice, while also
hastening global warming by reducing how much sunlight is reflected by
white ice back into space.
Antarctic sea ice extent peaked this year on Sept. 10, when it covered
16.96 million square kilometers (6.55 million square miles), the lowest
winter maximum since satellite records began in 1979, the NSIDC said.
That's about 1 million square kilometers less ice than the previous
winter record set in 1986.
"It's not just a record-breaking year, it's an extreme record-breaking
year," said NSIDC senior scientist Walt Meier.
NSIDC in a statement said that the figures were preliminary with a full
analysis to be released next month.
Seasons are reversed in the Southern hemisphere with sea ice generally
peaking around September near the end of winter and later melting to its
lowest point in February or March as summer draws to a close.
The summer Antarctic sea ice extent also hit a record low in February,
breaking the previous mark set in 2022.
The Arctic has been hit hard by climate change over the last decade,
with sea ice rapidly deteriorating as the northern region warms four
times faster than the global average.
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![](../images/092623PIX/news_e4.jpg)
Small chunks of ice float on the water near Fournier Bay,
Antarctica, February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo
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While climate change is contributing to melting glaciers in
Antarctica, it has been less certain how warming temperatures are
impacting sea ice near the southern pole. Sea ice extent there grew
between 2007 and 2016.
The shift in recent years toward record-low conditions has
scientists concerned climate change may finally be presenting itself
in Antarctic sea ice.
While Meier cautioned it is too soon to say, an academic article
published earlier this month in the journal Communications Earth and
Environment pointed to climate change as a potential factor.
The study found that warming ocean temperatures, driven mainly by
human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, are contributing to the lower
sea ice levels seen since 2016.
"The key message here is that to protect these frozen parts of the
world that are really important for a whole number of reasons," said
Ariaan Purich, a sea ice researcher at Australia's Monash University
who co-authored the study, "we really need to reduce our greenhouse
gas emissions."
(Reporting by Jake SpringEditing by Bill Berkrot)
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