As winter is currently ending in the southern hemisphere, the maximum extent reached this year by the sea ice is 1.03 million square kilometers less than the previous record.
The Antarctic ice shelf, which melts in summer and replenishes in winter, has reached its maximum surface area for the year 2023, and this has never been so small since the start of scientific surveys, announced Monday 25 September the American reference observatory, while winter is currently ending in the southern hemisphere.
On September 10, “Antarctic sea ice has reached a maximum annual extent of 16.96 million km2“, wrote the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). “This is the lowest maximum for sea ice in records from 1979 to 2023, by far.” The maximum extent reached this year is 1.03 million km2 lower than the previous record, almost twice the surface area of France.
Melting that aggravates global warming
In February, in the middle of the austral summer, the Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest level, with a minimum extent of 1.79 million km2, a melting record, according to the NSIDC. The American observatory also notes that the ice pack has reformed at an unusually slow pace despite the arrival of winter. Finally, he notes that “the trend in the extent of the Antarctic sea ice has taken a sharp downward turn, for almost every month. of the year, since August 2016.
While the melting of the sea ice has no discernible effect on rising sea levels – the ice is already in the ocean water – it accelerates human-caused global warming. Acting like a mirror, this white expanse reflects most of the sun’s energy.
In the Arctic, where summer is ending, sea ice has also reached its lowest extent for the year, at 4.23 million km2, announced the NSIDC. This is the sixth lowest level in 45 years of data.