The Antarctic sea ice has fallen well below its previous record low of last year, according to data from the United States government monitoring service, said the UN weather agenc in another climate alert.
Having reached its maximum level during winter in the southern hemisphere, it has dipped below 17 million square kilometers for the first time since records began in 1979.
That is a full million km² below 2022, said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)–an area greater than the size of Egypt.
One of the US National Snow and Ice Data Center scientists issuing the alert said it was far outside anything seen before and “almost mind-blowing.”
The consequences of continued ice melt could have far-reaching consequences for long-term seasonal evolution, said WMO.
Scientists with WMO’s Global Cryosphere Watch are on alert to see if this is the start of a new worrying trend due to rising emissions in the atmosphere and ocean.
“The 2023 Antarctic sea-ice deficit has direct impacts on the climate- and ecosystems, both nearby as well as far field, including at lower latitudes, which are home to the majority of human population and their economic interests,” said Dr Petra Heil, an expert from the Australia Antarctic Division and part of WMO’s Global Cryosphere Watch. UN News
“There is growing concern about rapid changes in the cryosphere–melting sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers,” says Omar Baddour, chief of climate monitoring at WMO.
“The drop in Antarctic sea ice this year has been really dramatic. What happens in Antarctica and the Arctic affects the entire globe,” he added. UN News
