Antarctic sea ice extent has reached a new record low – the sea ice is more than 1 million square kilometers (386,000 square miles) below the previous record low maximum set in 1986.
Newly-released data from the US based National Snow And Ice Data Center shows that while Antarctic sea ice grew at a much faster-than-average pace through the first eight days of September, growth slowed after September 8.
The scientists are warning that if no further net growth occurs, the sea ice maximum will be below 17 million square kilometers (6.56 million square miles) for the first time in the satellite record, and about one million square kilometers (386,000 square miles) below the previous record low maximum of 1986.
Commenting on the latest data, Walter Meier, senior research scientist at the United States’ National Snow and Ice Data Center told the BBC:
“It’s so far outside anything we’ve seen, it’s almost mind-blowing.”
The five low maximum sea ice extents for Antarctica include 1986, 2002, 2017, 1989, and 2022.
The Antarctic Ice Sheet, the largest ice sheet on Earth, covers almost 14 million square kilometers (5.4 million square miles), roughly the area of the contiguous United States and Mexico combined. The Antarctic Ice Sheet measures nearly 4.9 kilometers (3 miles) at its thickest point and contains about 30 million cubic kilometers (7.2 million cubic miles) of ice.
Polar experts are warning that Antarctica's massive ice expanse could transform from regulating the planet's temperature and acting as Earth's refrigerator to a radiator. Antarctica’s white surface reflects the Sun's energy back into the atmosphere with its ice cooling the planet.
If the entire Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, sea level would rise about 60 meters (200 feet).The Sheet has been losing substantial ice mass since the early 1990s, adding to global sea level rise.
In the Arctic, a strong weather pattern from August 21 to 24 caused widespread melting across Greenland. The 2023 cumulative melt area is currently the second largest in the 45-year satellite record, with over 30 million square kilometers (11.5 million square miles). This trails the extreme melt year of 2012, which accumulated over 45 million square kilometers (17.4 million square miles) by late August.
The Greenland Ice Sheet covers about 80 percent of the world's largest island, stretching across 1.7 million square kilometers (656,000 square miles). At its thickest point, the Greenland Ice Sheet measures over 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) thick and contains about 2.9 million cubic kilometers (696,000 cubic miles) of ice. If the entire Greenland Ice Sheet melted, sea level would rise about 7.4 meters (24 feet).
The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on the planet, and as a result, sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is decreasing. If the entire Greenland Ice Sheet melted, sea level would rise about 7.4 meters (24 feet).
Together, the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets contain more than 99 % of the land ice and over 68% of the fresh water on Earth. If global emissions continue at their current rate, Earth’s ice sheets are vulnerable to massive ice loss that could substantially raise sea levels.
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