Unlike the Arctic, where scientists say climate change is accelerating its impacts, Antarctica’s sea ice extent is highly variable.
Recent data shows the sea ice has not since recovered, suggesting the continent could end the summer with a new record on the books for the second year in a row.Īntarctica has experienced a roller-coaster of sea ice extent over the past couple of decades, swinging wildly from record highs to record lows. Strong winds have also hastened the sea ice decline, they reported. Researchers at the data center say the low sea ice has been due in part to a large band of warmer-than-normal air temperatures, which climbed to 2 degrees Celsius above average over the Ross Sea in November and December. “While the decline in Antarctic sea ice extent is always steep at this time of year, it has been unusually rapid this year,” scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported in early January, “and at the end of December, Antarctic sea ice extent stood at the lowest in the 45-year satellite record.” The calving comes amid record-low sea ice extent in Antarctica, where it is summer. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images) Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty ImagesĦ5% of Antarctica's plants and animals could disappear, scientists say.
ANTARCTICA - 0: Antarctica, Weddell Sea, Snow Hill Island, Emperor Penguin Colony Aptenodytes forsteri With Chicks On Fast Ice.
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