He Antarctic ice reached its historical minimum on December 10, according to a preliminary report from the United States National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). However, the NSIDC estimated that «changing winds or late growth could still increase the extent of Antarctic ice.» The previous trademark had been registered in 1986.
In early April 2023, sea ice «maintained record ice growth,» but from early to mid-August «growth slowed considerably»the NSIDC report stated.
After that period, ice growth accelerated again and the gap between 2023 and 1986 was fixed at approximately 1 million square kilometers. Is about the first time that the extent of sea ice does not exceed 17 million square kilometers.
In 2023, Antarctic ice reached a maximum annual extent of 16.96 million square kilometers, a figure that is 1.03 million square kilometers below the previous historic low, set in 1986.
What happens in Antarctica?
Since August 2016, the Antarctic sea ice extent trend suffered a sharp drop in almost every month. Most research suggested that changes in the content of ocean heat near the surface They are responsible for slow growth.
«There is some concern that this could be the beginning of a long-term trend of declining Antarctic sea ice«, they warned from the NSIDC. In addition, they noted that the oceans «are warming globally and warm water mixing in the polar layer of the Southern Ocean could continue.»
Another alert they raised in the report was that if the «dramatically smaller» extent of sea ice continues until the summer of 2024 ««A large part of the Antarctic coast will be exposed to ocean waves and marine climate.»
If these projections occur, two opposite impacts may occur. On the one hand, «the erosion of the most perennial coastal ice and ice shelves, destabilizing the ice sheet», and on the other «or a greater accumulation near the coast, partially offsetting the threat of sea level rise.»
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