Is Antarctic sea ice increasing?
The Arctic regularly reaches ever smaller extents of end-of-summer minimum extents of sea ice. This changing sea ice extent is cited by the IPCC as an indicator of a warming world. However, sea ice extent is growing in Antarctica [1]. In fact, it’s recently broken a record for maximum extent.
Which year has had the highest recorded Antarctic sea ice?
Key Points
- Antarctic sea ice extent in September and February increased slightly over much of the period shown in Figure 1, but decreased in the last few years.
- The September maximum extent reached the highest level on record in 2014 and reached the lowest level on record in 2018.
Which year recorded the lowest amount of sea ice?
2012
“At the start of July, sea ice extent was above the levels recorded in 2012, the year that ended up with the lowest September ice extent in the satellite record.
What has happened to the Arctic sea ice since 1979?
Despite year-to-year variability, Arctic sea ice has steadily dropped during all seasons since the start of the satellite record in 1979. However, the changes are especially pronounced around the time of the sea ice minimum in September, when sea ice extent has declined by about 13 percent per decade.
Is the Antarctic ice fresh or salt?
Changes in Antarctic sea ice are also important because of implications for atmospheric and oceanic circulation. When sea ice forms, it rejects salt (ocean water is saline but sea ice is largely fresh) so dense salty water is formed which sinks and plays a key role in formation of Antarctic Bottom Water.
Which was the hottest year in human history?
In January 2017, several scientific agencies around the world, including NASA and the NOAA in the United States and the Met Office in the United Kingdom, named 2016 the warmest year recorded.
Why there is no ice on North Pole?
Unlike Antarctica, there’s no land at the North Pole. Instead it’s all ice that’s floating on top of the Arctic Ocean. Multi-year ice is thicker and has survived at least one melt season, whereas first-year ice is much thinner. Arctic sea ice usually reaches its minimum around mid-September each year.
Is Arctic sea ice increasing or decreasing?
Sea ice in the Arctic has decreased dramatically since the late 1970s, particularly in summer and autumn. However, after 2014, Antarctic ice extent began to decline, reaching a record low (within the 40 years of satellite data) in 2017, and remaining low in the following two years.