<h5>What’s going on in Antarctica?</h5><p>USA’s National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) data says that sea ice levels surrounding Antarctica have reached a new low as the winter season ends in the region. The data raises concerns that Antarctic sea ice may be declining due to climate change.</p><p>Sea ice in the polar regions melts and grows with the changing seasons. Antarctic sea ice typically reaches its minimum coverage at the end of the region’s summer, around February. It peaks during mid to late September, near the end of the winter. The sea ice usually covers most areas around 23rd September, when winter finishes in the region.</p><p>In February, scientists said that Antarctic floating sea ice reached an all-time low at the end of the summer season. Also, sea ice growth remained slow during the winter. The maximum sea-ice extent for this year is way less than the previous record low established in 1986. It is also way less than the 1981-2010 average.</p><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/antarctica-s-sea-ice-is-at-an-all-time-low%2FSea%20Ice%20Extent.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=495bee6b-0e1e-46f0-bc03-24c630cd4551&amp;_gl=1*1tgw67*_ga*MTIzNjQ0ODg2NS4xNjgzNzk5MjMy*_ga_CW55HF8NVT*MTY5ODczNDExNi4yODAuMS4xNjk4NzM2NDA1LjQ3LjAuMA.."><figcaption>The extent of Antarctic sea ice on 10th September 2023. Photo by NSIDC.</figcaption></figure><h5>Has Antarctica’s sea ice been declining every year?</h5><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/antarctica-s-sea-ice-is-at-an-all-time-low%2FSea_ice_Antarctica.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=49733ca5-ef85-4fdc-ab99-0870d54becce&amp;_gl=1*2qf97b*_ga*MTIzNjQ0ODg2NS4xNjgzNzk5MjMy*_ga_CW55HF8NVT*MTY5ODczNDExNi4yODAuMS4xNjk4NzM2NDY5LjUxLjAuMA.."><figcaption>Antarctic sea ice. Photo by Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0</figcaption></figure><p>Since 1979, scientists have been regularly measuring the area of Antarctic sea ice. For most of this time, Antarctica appeared unaffected by the changing weather patterns observed in other places. In fact, Antarctica's sea ice used to grow at record rates. Around 2016, this began to change. The region’s sea ice has been decreasing for several years.</p><p>An expert said that winds bringing in warm air could be a reason behind the sea ice loss. Another reason could be the rising temperatures of the world's oceans. However, scientists are still attempting to determine the exact reason behind the sea ice loss. It can be a combination of natural variations and global warming.</p><h5>How important is sea ice?</h5><p>Antarctic ice helps control the global climate. This is because the white surface of the ice reflects back sunlight into the atmosphere. Sea ice also keeps the air cooler and forms a barrier between the warm waters below. It also forms a barrier around land ice, shielding it from the ocean waves. If there had been no protection, the land ice would have melted very fast.</p><p>Scientists say that reducing sea ice can harm animals like penguins that breed their young ones on sea ice. It can also speed up global warming by decreasing the amount of sunlight reflected back into space by ice. Let’s hope scientists find a solution to this problem.</p>

Studies say that Antarctic sea ice has been decreasing since 2016.

Antarctica’s Sea Ice Is at an All-Time Low

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