A Dec. 26, 2024, Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows maps of purported Antarctic sea ice extent, or area, from Dec. 24, 1979, and the same day in 2024. Text above the graphic says the ...

On Dec. 21, 2024, the Antarctic sea ice extent was higher than on Dec. 21, 2016, but the Arctic sea ice extent was lower on that date in 2024 compared to 2016, according to government data.

Environment Why vanishing sea ice at the poles is a crisis for the entire planet. Extremely low sea ice levels in the Arctic and Antarctica signal a "new normal" that may accelerate global warming ...

The winter growth period for sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is now over, with levels at a record low. The winter ice extent on 21 March 2025 was lower than at any time since continuous satellite ...

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are on course for rapid retreat, even collapse, leading to multiple feet of sea level rise even if the world pulls off the miraculous and keeps global ...

Winter sea ice in the Arctic just hit a record low. Just 5.53 million square miles of ice had formed as of March 22, the smallest maximum extent since satellite recordkeeping began in the 1970s.

The 2025 sea ice extended 5.5 million square miles, breaking the previous lowest figure recorded in 2017 of 5.8 million square miles. The results didn’t come as a surprise to scientists, ...

The average was an ice-free period of 27 days, meaning that an ice-free day could in fact turn into an ice-free month. August and September were the most likely months for such conditions to happen.

Antarctica's annual maximum sea ice extent in September 2023 was the lowest on record, with approximately 1.75 million square kilometers less sea ice than normal—an area equivalent to about 6.5 ...

Melting Antarctic ice contributes to global sea-level rise, so a reversal of melting will slow that down. Understanding the dynamics of ice mass on Antarctica is thus essential.

When sea ice forms later, the communities of tiny algae that live within it change too. Detecting these early signals now could help us adapt to a changing world.