Sea ice extents published by NSIDC for Arctic and Antarctic

Alan Bailey

for Petroleum News

The National Snow and Ice Data Center has published this year's Antarctic maximum sea ice extent that occurred on Sept. 17, following the publication of the Arctic minimum sea ice extent that occurred on Sept. 10. The satellite records of the sea ice extents gathered over the past 47 years can provide insights into the warming of the Earth's climate.

In the Antarctic the winter freeze-up resulted in a maximum ice extent of 6.88 million square miles, the third lowest extent recorded since satellite observations began.

The record maximum low occurred in 2023. NSIDC scientists expressed concern over the trend towards lower amounts of sea ice and their implications regarding the stability and melting of the ice sheet.

However, it is possible that this trend is also leading to higher levels of snowfall over the Antarctic continent, thus slowing the progression of sea level rise, senior research scientist Ted Scambos suggested.

This year's Arctic sea ice minimum extent was 1.78 million square miles, an extent that equals the minimum extents in 2008 and 2010 and that was the 10th lowest level recorded.

NSIDC says that the last 19 years have seen the 19th lowest extents on record, and that there has been no significant trend in the minimum extents over that time period. The record minimum extent of 1.31 million square miles occurred on Sept. 17, 2012.

The reasons for this flattening of the minimum sea ice extent trend over the past two decades has become "a matter of active debate in the Arctic science community," NSIDC says.

However, NSIDC also points out that all years from 2007 onwards have had lower minimum ice extents than all previous years.

- Alan Bailey