Record Low Global Sea Ice In February Sparks Alarm Over Climate Change
Due to the constant disposal of planet-heating pollutants into the Earth’s atmosphere, global sea ice has fallen to a record low in February. The high temperatures have affected the global sea ice extent. The combined area of ice around the North and South Poles hit a new daily minimum in early February and stayed below the previous record for the rest of the month, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) on Thursday.
Expressing concern over the warming of the planet, Samantha Burgess, C3S deputy director, said, “One of the consequences of a warmer world is melting sea ice. The record or near-record low sea ice cover at both poles has pushed global sea ice cover to an all-time minimum.”
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Furthermore, the agency found that the area of sea ice had hit its lowest monthly level for February in the Arctic, at 8% below average, and its fourth-lowest monthly level for February in the Antarctic, at 26% below average. Satellite observations stretch back to the late 1970s, with historical observations dating to the middle of the 20th century. Scientists observing the phenomenon noted that the North Pole experienced extreme heat at the start of February, which caused temperatures to soar more than 20°C above average, crossing the threshold for ice to melt.
They have stated that this is “particularly worrying” because the ice reflects sunlight and cools the planet. However, the lack of ice caps means darker ocean surfaces that absorb more sunlight, accelerating the warming. The strong winter warming event in the Arctic in early February prevented sea ice from growing normally, said Mika Rantanen, a climate scientist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Elaborating on the crisis behind this sudden decline, he added, “I believe that this meteorological event, combined with the long-term decline of sea ice due to anthropogenic climate change, was the primary cause of the lowest Arctic sea ice extent on record.”
Generally, global sea ice varies throughout the year, reaching its minimum in February as it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere. C3S stated that February 2025 was the third hottest February it had seen. Global temperatures were 1.59°C hotter than preindustrial levels, making it the 19th month in the past 20 that was more than 1.5°C above preindustrial levels.
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Last year was confirmed as the hottest year on record; however, the new data has surpassed the previous years, causing alarm. Richard Allan, a climate scientist at the University of Reading, said the long-term prognosis for Arctic sea ice was grim. “The region continues to rapidly heat up and can only be saved with rapid and massive cuts to greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “That will also limit the growing severity of weather extremes and long-term sea level rise across the world.”
The record low ice in both hemispheres is “cause for serious concern,” said Robert Larter at the British Antarctic Survey in a statement. He added that the lack of ice will harm polar ecosystems and expose ice shelves to more ocean water, which could accelerate melting and sea level rise.
