Antarctica: sea ice reaches its lowest level ever observed

The Concordia base in the middle of Antarctica (illustrative image).

Sylvain Guesnier

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Sea ice has reached its lowest level ever seen in Antarctica in recent months, as summer draws to a close in the southern hemisphere.

Researchers from a University of Canton in China, who studied the surface covered by this expanse of frozen seawater, noted several climatic anomalies 

Advertisement

Read more

Until now, the Antarctic sea ice, in the south of the globe, seemed to resist climate change better than the Arctic sea ice in the northern hemisphere.

In recent years, it has even slightly increased in size.

But, during this austral summer of 2022 - this is a record - it fell below the two million km2 mark.

That is 30% less than the average of the last three decades.

Rising temperatures

First of all, we explain this unprecedented melting by the rise in temperatures.

A heat wave of 40 degrees above normal hit Antarctica last March.

A block of ice the size of Los Angeles was then detached.

Less reflective white surface

Warmer waters afterwards.

In summer, sea currents from warmer latitudes come - indeed - to warm the pack ice.

This melting worries researchers because less ice also means less reflective white surface on the poles.

The sea then absorbs the sun's rays better and heats up even faster in a veritable vicious circle.

►Also read

 (

)

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Poles

• oceans

• Climate change