Record Low Antarctic Sea Ice Cover in February 2022
John Turner, Caroline Holmes, Thomas Caton Harrison, Tony Phillips, Babula Jena, Tylei Reeves-Francois, Ryan Fogt, Elizabeth R. Thomas, C. C. Balish
Key Points
- Antarctic sea ice extent dropped to a record low level of 1.92 × 106 km2 on 25 February 2022
- There were negative sea ice anomalies in all sectors of the Southern Ocean, with the largest in the Ross and Weddell Seas
- Deep storms in October/November 2021 led to low sea ice concentration and a large coastal polynya that accelerated sea ice loss