Sea ice has never been so low in Antarctica in almost half a century: “South Pole no longer insensitive to climate change” | Science & Planet

Never before has so little sea ice been measured at the South Pole at this time of year since satellite measurements began. Currently, the extent of sea ice is only 17 million km² of sea ice. That is no less than 1 million km² less than the previous low record from 1986. “This worrying situation seems to be a new turning point for an area that for a long time seemed insensitive to global warming,” warns Lander Van Tricht, glaciologist at the VUB. He explains how bad the sea ice is, whether this is due to climate change or natural fluctuations, and whether there are consequences for us.