The area of winter sea ice in Antarctica has reached one of the lowest levels ever recorded by satellite observations. The figure is approximately one million square kilometers below the long-term average maximum. The Guardian reports, as cited by UNN.
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Scientists have confirmed that winter sea ice in Antarctica reached the third-lowest level in the history of observations, one million square kilometers—or nearly 400,000 square miles—below the long-term average.
According to available data, satellites have been monitoring Antarctic sea ice since 1979, but this year's maximum is approximately one million square kilometers below the long-term average
Confirmation of the peak meant that the lowest figures ever recorded for sea ice on the continent were observed over the past four years—sea ice that is a vital component of the planet's climate and critically important for marine life. Dr. Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, said the center had refrained from declaring the maximum because at this stage of the continent's sea-ice cycle there is "a great deal of potential variability.
At the same time, the area of sea ice in Antarctica varies significantly every year. In summer, it shrinks to less than 2 million square kilometers; in winter, it expands, and in September it can exceed 17 million square kilometers.
Moreover, according to the publication, in recent years scientists have recorded record-low figures both in winter and in summer. Scientists link this to the possible impact of global warming
This is no longer an isolated event. Sea ice no longer covers the same area of the ocean as it did in the past. We are seeing one low winter temperature after another, and this indicates that sea ice is behaving differently because we have warmed our climate. This is not a problem of the future. It is a problem of the present
Recall
The WMO forecasts an 86% probability of a new temperature record by 2030. The warming will be influenced by the El Niño phenomenon and carbon dioxide emissions.