Winter sea ice has reached an"extreme" record low in Antarctica - raising fears about the impact of climate change on the region and how it could have consequences for the rest of the world.
"It's not just a record-breaking year, it's an extreme record-breaking year," said NSIDC senior scientist Walt Meier.Researchers warned such changes will accelerate global warming by reducing how much sunlight is reflected by white ice back into space. Seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere - Antarctica's sea ice normally peaks in September at the end of winter before melting to its lowest point in February or March as the continent's summer draws to a close.The average sea ice maximum between 1981 and 2010 was 18.71m sq km , experts added.The summer Antarctic sea ice extent also hit a record low in February, breaking the previous mark set in 2022.