The rapid loss of Antarctic sea ice brings grim scenarios into view
The extent of newly exposed ocean is the size of Argentina
W hen the area near Antarctica covered by sea ice fell to 1.8m km2 (800,000 square miles) on February 19th—the smallest extent since satellite-based data became available in 1978—few climatologists were surprised. Such records fall frequently in a warming world, as they did at the same time of year in 2017 and 2022. In March ice cover in the Antarctic began bouncing back at a rate of 70,000 km2 per day, close to the historical average.
Chart sources: NSIDC; Copernicus; Polar Geospatial Centre
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