The polar regions heating several times faster than the global average
\n WASHINGTON
\nThis year\u2019s Arctic sea ice peak is the lowest in the 47-year satellite record, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said Thursday, as the planet continues to swelter under the mounting effects of human-driven climate change.
\nThe start of this year saw the warmest January on record followed by the third-warmest February, with the polar regions heating several times faster than the global average.
\nThe 2025 maximum sea ice extent was likely reached on March 22, measuring 14.33 million square kilometers (5.53 million square miles) \u2014 below the previous low of 14.41 million square kilometers set in 2017.
\n\u201cThis new record low is yet another indicator of how Arctic sea ice has fundamentally changed from earlier decades,\u201d said NSIDC senior research scientist Walt Meier in a statement.
\n\u201cBut even more importantly than the record low is that this year adds yet another data point to the continuing long-term loss of Arctic sea ice in all seasons.\u201d
\nThe record-low Arctic maximum extent follows a near-record-low minimum extent of sea ice in the Antarctic, where it is now summer.
\nThe 2025 Antarctic sea ice minimum, achieved on March 1, was 1.98 million square kilometers, tying for the second-lowest annual minimum in the satellite record, alongside 2022 and 2024.
\nCombined Arctic and Antarctic sea ice cover \u2014 frozen ocean water that floats on the surface \u2014 plunged to a record low in February, according to both the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Europe\u2019s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
\nWhile floating sea ice does not directly raise sea levels, its disappearance sets off a cascade of climate consequences, altering weather patterns, disrupting ocean currents, and threatening ecosystems and human communities.
\nWhen reflective ice gives way to the dark ocean, the sun\u2019s energy, instead of bouncing back into space, is absorbed by the water, warming it and fueling further ice melt and global warming.
\nShrinking Arctic ice is also reshaping geopolitics, opening new shipping lanes and drawing geopolitical interest. Since taking office this year, US President Donald Trump has said his country must control Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory rich in mineral resources.
\nThe loss of polar ice spells disaster for numerous species, robbing polar bears, seals, and penguins of crucial habitat used for shelter, hunting, and breeding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The polar regions heating several times faster than the global average WASHINGTON This year\u2019s Arctic sea ice peak is the lowest in the 47-year satellite record, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said Thursday, as the planet continues to swelter under the mounting effects of human-driven climate change. The start of this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469830,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-469802","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n