Arctic winter sea ice extent reaches a record low for two consecutive years

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Xinhua News Agency, Los Angeles, March 26 (Reporter Tan Jingjing) - NASA announced on the 26th that new research shows that the Arctic winter sea ice extent has reached its lowest level for the second consecutive year since satellite observation data began in 1979.

This study was jointly conducted by NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The data shows that on March 15 of this year, the Arctic sea ice extent was approximately 14.29 million square kilometers, roughly equal to the winter peak of about 14.31 million square kilometers in 2025. Researchers indicated that statistically, the two years of data can be considered tied for the historical lowest winter sea ice extent.

The Arctic sea ice extent expands in winter as temperatures drop and shrinks in summer due to melting ice and snow. The research reveals that in recent years, new sea ice formation has decreased and the accumulation of multi-year ice has declined.

Researchers pointed out that this year’s winter sea ice extent peak continues the long-term downward trend observed over the past several decades, being about 1.3 million square kilometers lower than the average level from 1981 to 2010. A low value in a single year is not definitive, but combined with the long-term downward trend since 1979, these data further reflect the overall continued decrease in Arctic sea ice.

Researchers also observed changes in sea ice thickness. NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) data shows that this year, sea ice thickness has decreased in most areas of the Arctic, particularly in the Barents Sea.

The research also indicates that in the Antarctic region, the summer sea ice extent fell to its annual low on February 26, at approximately 2.58 million square kilometers. This figure has rebounded from an unusually low level over the past four years, but it is still about 260,000 square kilometers lower than the average level from 1981 to 2010.

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