In March 2024, the sea ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere reached 14.87 million square kilometers, a decrease of 7.3 percent from 1980, when the extent was just above 16 million square kilometers during the same month. This decline underscores a concerning trend for sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere, with potential far-reaching implications for climate and ecosystems.
Causes and consequences of sea ice melting
The drastic reduction of the ice sheet in the Arctic Sea has been attributed to climate change and the increase in temperatures in past years, causing an abnormal change in ocean heat content worldwide and a subsequent melting scenario . Additionally, weather patterns are changing and becoming more unpredictable, disturbing snowfall and therefore impeding the melted ice from recovering.
A substantial ice loss affects local ecosystems and contributes to rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Furthermore, disruptions in the amount of sea ice can perturb normal ocean circulation, leading to additional disturbances in the climate across the globe.
The south is also changing
After decades of apparent no-clear variability in the sea ice extent in the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctic sea ice has shown alarming signs in 2023. That year, the average monthly sea ice extent in Antarctica reported a record low, falling to 16.8 million square kilometers in September, the month when the highest extent is normally reached. If a downward trend in the south forms in the coming years, it will aggravate the effects of sea ice melting that the planet is already experiencing.
Average monthly sea ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere from January 1980 to May 2024
(in million square kilometers)
The figures were obtained from the following source:
Fetterer, F., K. Knowles, W. N. Meier, M. Savoie, and A. K. Windnagel. 2017, updated daily. Sea Ice Index, Version 3. [G02135]. Boulder, Colorado USA. NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center. doi: https://doi.org/10.7265/N5K072F8. [March 28, 2022].
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National Snow and Ice Data Center. (April 8, 2024). Average monthly sea ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere from January 1980 to May 2024 (in million square kilometers) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299082/northern-hemisphere-sea-ice-extent/
National Snow and Ice Data Center. "Average monthly sea ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere from January 1980 to May 2024 (in million square kilometers)." Chart. April 8, 2024. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299082/northern-hemisphere-sea-ice-extent/
National Snow and Ice Data Center. (2024). Average monthly sea ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere from January 1980 to May 2024 (in million square kilometers). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299082/northern-hemisphere-sea-ice-extent/
National Snow and Ice Data Center. "Average Monthly Sea Ice Extent in The Northern Hemisphere from January 1980 to May 2024 (in Million Square Kilometers)." Statista, Statista Inc., 8 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299082/northern-hemisphere-sea-ice-extent/
National Snow and Ice Data Center, Average monthly sea ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere from January 1980 to May 2024 (in million square kilometers) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299082/northern-hemisphere-sea-ice-extent/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Average monthly sea ice extent in the Northern Hemisphere from January 1980 to May 2024 (in million square kilometers) [Graph], National Snow and Ice Data Center, April 8, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1299082/northern-hemisphere-sea-ice-extent/