The world's sea ice is melting at record levels as temperatures soar

Sea ice in the Antarctic is at its lowest
level since records began.

Sea ice in the Antarctic is at its lowest level since records began while the Arctic is on track for another historic new low.

According to figures from the US National Snow & Ice Data Centre (NSIDC), sea ice in the Antarctic covered just 2.3 million square kilometres on 12 February – compared to the average between 1981 and 2010 of more than three million on that day.

The sea ice is likely to decrease further as it usually reaches the minimum level during the southern hemisphere’s summer in the last week of February.

Meanwhile in the Arctic, the sea ice is also tracking well below usual levels. It hits its maximum extent at the end of February or early March before the onset of spring starts to melt the ice.

Read Ian Johnston’s story in the Independent - “The world's sea ice is melting at record levels as temperatures soar.”