Madrid, 17 Feb. Antarctic sea ice extent has recorded a new historic low after shrinking to 1.91 million square kilometers on February 13, according to data from the US National Ice and Snow Data Center (NSIDC). ).
On that date, levels fell below the previous record of 1.92 million square kilometers, set on February 25, 2022.
Since mid-December, the ice extent is well below last year’s melt season levels.
This year is the second in which the extension of Antarctica falls below 2 million square kilometers, according to the figures.
In recent years, the annual minimum has been between February 18 and March 3, so ice levels are expected to continue to drop.
The extent of the Antarctic sea ice could therefore exceed this year the lowest record recorded last year.
According to the data, much of the Antarctic coast is ice-free, exposing the ice shelves lining the ice sheet to wave action and warmer conditions.
Previous studies have linked low sea ice cover to wave-induced stresses on the floating ice shelves that fringe the continent, causing the weakest areas to break up.
Antarctic sea ice extent has been highly variable in recent years, although 2022 and 2023 were record extents.
The linear downward trend in the minimum extent of Antarctica from 1979 to 2023 is 2,400 square kilometers per year or 0.9% per decade.
The sharp decrease in sea ice extent since 2016 has prompted research into possible causes and whether southern hemisphere sea ice loss is developing a significant downward trend. ECE
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