Polar heatwaves have ice in retreat at both ends of the planet

Climate change has a habit of throwing up some surprising outcomes and this has to be one of them: sea ice is now at record low levels at both ends of the planet.

To be sure, the tale of disappearing Arctic ice has been told before.

But the big melt has lately not been the story of Antarctic sea ice. And it's certainly unusual for record lows to be plumbed for this time of the year at both of the world's extremities simultaneously.

This year, US agencies registered the second-smallest area covered by Arctic sea ice on record, with abnormal air and ocean temperatures to blame.

Read Peter Hannam’s story in the Melbourne Age - “Polar heatwaves have ice in retreat at both ends of the planet.”