Antarctic sea ice dropped to a record low in 2023. A new study says the loss of ice that year contributed to an increase in ocean heat loss and storms.
What's happening?
The annual maximum sea ice extent dropped to 6.55 million square miles on September 10, 2023, the lowest maximum in the satellite record that dates back to 1979. That maximum smashed the old record set in 1986 by nearly 400,000 square miles. It was also 676,000 square miles below the average Antarctic maximum extent observed from 1981 to 2010.
"Our results reveal that the 2023 Antarctic sea-ice loss has substantially modified air–sea interaction in the Southern Ocean and motivate in-depth analysis of the wider climate-system impacts," according to the study published in Nature. "The severity of sea-ice decline is a substantial concern as it has a wide range of physical and biological impacts that include ocean warming leading to enhanced ice-shelf melt, weakening of the Southern Ocean carbon sink and population reduction leading to potential colony extinction in penguins."
Why is record-low Antarctic sea ice important?
The study says the loss of ice has brought "substantial changes on both sides of the ocean–atmosphere interface" that include an increase in storm frequency. The study concluded that "the strongest winter 2023 ice-retraction regions provide an important new source of turbulent ocean heat loss to the atmosphere in wintertime."
"Strong heat-loss events are key to initiating ocean convection and influence atmospheric storms," the study added. "Thus, the shift towards more frequent extreme events in 2023 has the potential to substantially affect both the ocean and the atmosphere."
The British Antarctic Survey says the record-low levels of Antarctic sea ice observed in 2023 were "extremely unlikely" to happen without the influence of an overheating planet.
Scientists say that Antarctic sea ice plays a crucial role in shaping marine and coastal ecosystems and regulating ocean-atmosphere interactions in the Southern Ocean. It also impacts the global climate by reflecting sunlight in the Southern Hemisphere and affecting ice sheets and oceanic currents worldwide.
What's being done about Antarctic sea ice loss?
Scientists sounded the alarm after they documented a dramatic, six-month collapse of Antarctic sea ice cover in 2023.
The World Economic Forum believes we can still avoid the worst impacts of Antarctic sea ice loss by reducing the amount of heat-trapping gases being released into our atmosphere. They recommend the deployment of new clean energy technologies.Â
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