Sea ice on the Arctic Ocean
Shutterstock / Kevin XU
There was fewer sea ice covering the oceans in February of this year than any other moment recorded, according to satellite measures of the Copernicus European Union climate service.
“One of the consequences of a warmer world is to melt the sea ice, and the record or the low -sea ice cover of the two records on the two posts has pushed the world's coverage of sea ice to a minimum of all time,” said Samantha Burgess At the European center for average weather forecasts in a press release. The world's average temperatures in February of this year increased by 1.59 ° C above the pre-industrial average, which makes it the most common ever recorded, according to the service.
These high temperatures had an impact on the world extent of sea ice, which includes both the Arctic, where sea ice is currently near its annual maximum and Antarctic. The satellite record for the two regions extends to 1979.
In the Arctic, sea ice remained 8% below the average in February, missing an ice area about the size of the United Kingdom. It was the third consecutive month to establish a new monthly record in the Arctic.
This drop in the northern hemisphere combined with a Decline of Antarctic Sea Ice, seen in the past two years. Although the Antarctic Sea Ice seems to be back on average levels in December of last year, he then quickly refused again. In February, the ice reached its fourth lowest measure ever recorded for the month, remaining 26% below the average.
Record low ice in the two hemispheres is “a serious concern,” said Robert Larter to the British Antarctic investigation in a statement. He says that the lack of ice harm polar ecosystems And expose the ice shelves to more ocean water, which could speed up the melting and the elevation of the sea level.
The missing ice also has an effect beyond the poles: less ice means that less solar radiation will be reflected in space, adding to warming. It could also weaken the global ocean currents which depend on the dense and salty water produced when the sea ice is formed.
