Sea ice extent in Antarctica reached a record low in February of this year, according to the latest report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), deployed by the European Commission’s European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
“Our latest data show that Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest extent in the 45-year satellite data record,” said Samantha Burguess, deputy director of C3S. “These low sea ice conditions may have important implications for the stability of Antarctic ice shelves and ultimately for global sea level rise. Polar ice caps are a sensitive indicator of the climate crisis and it is important to closely monitor the changes occurring there.”
According to C3S, Antarctic sea ice reached its lowest monthly surface since satellite records began 45 years ago. February 2023 reached 34% below the historical average that corresponds to this month, surpassing the previous record in 2017. The daily extent of this ice also reached an all-time low, surpassing the previous record set in February 2022, with concentrations well below average in all sectors of the Southern Ocean.
The ice caps are a sensitive indicator of the climate crisis.
Samantha Burguess, deputy director of C3S
In the Arctic, sea ice coverage was also 4 percent below average, the second lowest reading for a February since satellite records have been available, with the lowest concentrations in the Barents Sea and the Svalbard region.
“These low sea ice conditions may have important implications for the stability of Antarctic ice shelves and ultimately for global sea level rise,” said Burguess. “The ice caps are a sensitive indicator of the climate crisis. It is important to keep a close eye on the changes occurring there.”
The second month of this 2023 was the fifth warmest February globally, with above-average temperatures in places such as the eastern U.S., northern Russia, Pakistan, India and most of Europe, especially northern Norway and Sweden.
Thermostats were also below average in the Iberian Peninsula, Turkey, western USA, Canada, northeastern Russia and northern Australia. In any case, the winter was the second warmest on record in Europe, with temperatures well above average in the eastern and northeastern parts of the old continent.
While most of western and southern Europe experienced drier than average conditions, some regions recorded record levels of soil moisture. Elsewhere on the globe, the driest regions were parts of South America, which experienced drought and wildfires, as well as southern Australia and western southern Africa.
February was particularly wet in the southern USA, parts of Russia, central and eastern Asia, northern Australia, southern Brazil, southeastern Africa and New Zealand. Heavy rainfall, sometimes associated with cyclones, caused flooding.
The winter was the second warmest on record in Europe, with temperatures well above average in the east and parts of the northeast. It was also drier than average in western and southeastern regions, while humidity was higher in parts of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in the southwest and northeast of the continent.
This season was also wetter than average in western North America, western Russia, part of central Asia, northern Australia, southern Brazil and southern Africa. The driest regions were Mexico, most of Central Asia, the Horn of Africa, southern Australia, and much of South America.
