The extent of sea ice in the Antarctic Ocean witnessed a record level of melting for the second year in a row, even before the end of the southern summer, according to the American reference observatory in the field, leaving Antarctica vulnerable to waves and hot winds that indirectly threaten the ice cover.
On February 13, the amount of sea ice around Antarctica decreased to “1.91 million square kilometers,” the lowest level recorded since satellite measurements began in 1978, according to the US National Ice and Snow Data Center (NSIDC).
The previous record high was set in February 2022, when the area of floating ice in the Antarctic Ocean fell below two million square kilometers for the first time.
However, over the past four decades, average sea ice remaining at the height of summer in Antarctica has remained stable, in contrast to sea ice in Greenland and the Arctic where climate warming is causing accelerated melting.
The Antarctic ice cycle (summer melting, winter re-formation) undergoes significant annual changes, with “4 of the five lowest annual levels recorded since 2008,” according to the National Ice and Snow Data Center.
During good years, sea ice surface exceeded 3.5 million square kilometers in peak summer melt.
However, the strong melt recorded since 2016 raises fears of a significant downward trend for the first time.
The melting of sea ice has no direct effect on sea level, because the ice floe is formed from the freezing of salty water that was originally in the ocean.
However, “the absence of ice floes over most parts of the Antarctic coast exposes the ice shelves that limit the ice cover to wave movement and higher temperatures,” according to the center.
However, the ice sheet, a thick freshwater glacier that covers Antarctica, is under special scrutiny from scientists because it contains enough water to cause a catastrophic rise in ocean levels if it melted.
In addition, the decline in sea ice cover, whose white surface reflects the sun, promotes ocean warming, adding to the effects of human-induced climate change.
“The minimum annual ice cover has been recorded between February 18 and March 3 in recent years, which leads to the expectation of further reduction” by the end of the southern summer, which is characterized by extreme temperatures in Chile and Argentina, the National Ice and Snow Data Center said.
