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Sea ice at both the top and bottom of the planet continued its decline in 2024. In the waters around Antarctica, ice coverage shrank to near-historic lows for the third year in a row. The recurring loss hints at a long-term shift in conditions in the Southern Ocean, likely resulting from global climate change, according to scientists at NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Meanwhile, the 46-year trend of shrinking and thinning ice in the Arctic Ocean shows no sign of reversing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSea ice acts like a buffer between the ocean and the atmosphere,\u201d said ice scientist Linette Boisvert of NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. \u201cSea ice prevents much of the exchange of heat and moisture from the relatively warm ocean to the atmosphere above it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Less ice coverage allows the ocean to warm the atmosphere over the poles, leading to more ice melting in a vicious cycle of rising temperatures.<\/p>\n
Historically, the area of sea ice surrounding the Antarctic continent has fluctuated dramatically from year to year while averages over decades have been relatively stable. In recent years, though, sea ice cover around Antarctica has plummeted.<\/p>\n \n