Arctic and Antarctica sea ice extent are poles apart
The long term decline in Arctic sea ice is continuing, with satellite data showing the third lowest February ice extent, in records which began in 1979.
The Arctic ice maximum usually happens towards the end of March, although last year there was a large increase in Arctic sea ice, so a new record is by no means certain.
The continued declining trend in Arctic sea ice has been well forecast by climate models, something that can’t be said at the other end of the planet.
Last month, Antarctica sea ice reached its annual minimum, which turned out to be the fourth highest summer minimum extent on record.
Remarkably, the trend for Antarctica sea ice extent in February shows an increase of 5% per decade.
The extent and positive trend for Antarctica sea ice continues to confound climate experts and computer models alike.