Thats 30 percent listed below the 1981 to 2010 end-of-summer average– a difference in ice cover that spans a location about the size of Texas.Scientists with NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, track these seasonal and yearly fluctuations since sea ice shapes Earths polar environments and plays a significant role in global climate.The map above reveals the ice degree on February 20, the day of the annual minimum level. With the most current ice retreat, this year marked the most affordable three-year average for ice protection ever observed around the Antarctic continent.Historically, the area of sea ice surrounding the Antarctic continent has actually varied significantly from year to year, however averages over decades have been relatively stable. In recent years, though, sea ice cover around Antarctica has plummeted.Animation of Antarctic sea ice optimum extent, September 10, 2023, to its minimum, February 20, 2024.
On February 20, 2024, Antarctica reached its seasonal minimum ice level, hitting near-historic lows for the third successive year. This continues a distressing pattern that might indicate a long-lasting climatic shift, with considerable environmental implications.Sea ice protection reached its seasonal minimum in February 2024, connecting with 2022 for the second-lowest degree in the satellite record.In the waters around Antarctica, ice coverage in 2024 diminished to near-historic lows for the 3rd year in a row. The repeating loss mean a long-term shift in conditions in the Southern Ocean, researchers say.Antarctic sea ice reached its least expensive annual degree on February 20, 2024, with an overall of 1.99 million square kilometers (768,000 square miles). Thats 30 percent below the 1981 to 2010 end-of-summer average– a distinction in ice cover that covers an area about the size of Texas.Scientists with NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado, Boulder, track these yearly and seasonal fluctuations due to the fact that sea ice shapes Earths polar communities and plays a substantial role in worldwide climate.The map above shows the ice extent on February 20, the day of the yearly minimum extent. To identify extent, scientists job satellite observations of sea ice onto a grid and then include up the total location of each cell that is at least 15 percent ice-covered. The yellow outline shows the average sea ice extent for February from 1981 to 2010. A mean is the middle value; that is, half of the levels were bigger than the yellow line and half were smaller.The analysis is based upon data gathered by microwave sensors aboard the Nimbus-7 satellite, jointly run by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), along with satellites in the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.This chart reveals the day-to-day sea ice degree through early March 2024 (red) compared to the 2023 record low (orange) and the typical level from 1981 to 2010 (blue). The current minimum connected with February 2022 for the second-lowest ice coverage around Antarctica and was close to the 2023 all-time low of 1.79 million square kilometers (691,000 square miles). With the current ice retreat, this year marked the most affordable three-year average for ice protection ever observed around the Antarctic continent.Historically, the area of sea ice surrounding the Antarctic continent has changed drastically from year to year, however averages over years have actually been relatively steady. Recently, though, sea ice cover around Antarctica has plummeted.Animation of Antarctic sea ice optimum degree, September 10, 2023, to its minimum, February 20, 2024. Credit: NASAs Scientific Visualization Studio”In 2016, we saw what some people are calling a routine shift,” said sea ice scientist Walt Meier of the NSIDC. “The Antarctic sea ice protection dropped and has largely remained lower than typical. Over the last seven years, weve had three record lows.”Its prematurely to know whether current sea ice lows at the South Pole indicate a long-term change rather than an analytical fluctuation, however Meier believes long-term decreases are inevitable. “Its just a matter of time,” Meier said. “After six, 7, eight years, its starting to look like perhaps its occurring. Its simply a question of whether theres sufficient information to state for sure. “NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using data from the National Snow and Ice Data. Story by James Riordon/NASAs Earth Science News Team, adjusted for Earth Observatory.
