The Antarctic sea ice affected by an unprecedented melting

For the first time since records began in 1978, the extent of the ice floating around Antarctica has shrunk. Until now, Antarctica seemed to be more resistant to climate change than the Arctic. But, according to a study in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, the sea ice around the continent reached, in February, its lowest level in 44 years (since the beginning of satellite data collection), and five years after the previous record low. The ocean area covered by ice slipped below 2 million km2 for the first time, which is 30% less than the average calculated over three decades, between 1981 and 2010. The summer "anomalies" were observed mainly in West Antarctica, which is more vulnerable to climate change than the larger East Antarctic area. This ice loss was mainly driven by changes in temperature, and the unprecedented heatwave Antarctica has known since 2020. While in 2020, the continent saw an unprecedented 9.2C above the mean maximum, in March 2022, it was 30 degrees above normal. Even though the melting has no impact on the sea level because the ice pack is formed by freezing saltwater, this diminished ice cover is nonetheless a major concern as it helps accelerate global warming by reducing the white surface on Earth and therefore the reflection of heat. “There is less reflection of heat and more absorption," explains Qinghua Yang, one of the study's co-authors. "This in turn melts more ice, and produces more heat absorption, in a vicious circle”. We don't have time. The Parties of the Antarctic Treaty (and the whole world) should start acting on climate change. Now! Read more: (FR) https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2022/04/20/la-banquise-antarctique-touchee-par-une-fonte-inedite_6122845_3244.html (ENG) https://phys.org/news/2022-04-antarctic-sea-ice-extent-shift.html About the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty: https://www.ats.aq/index_e.html