The US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) announced that satellite imagery shows that the level of sea ice around Antarctica has declined to a seasonal record low.
According to the news in BBC Turkish, Antarctica, which is currently in winter, should normally have the largest sea ice extent of the year during this period. However, research shows that the amount of ice has been at a periodic low since records began to be kept in 1979.
The area covered by sea ice reached about 16.96 million square kilometers on September 10, when ice extent peaked. The previous lowest winter ice extent was recorded in 1986.
Data recorded on September 10 showed that, compared to 1986, there was one million square kilometers less ice. This is almost equal to the area of Egypt. The findings have raised scientists’ concerns about the effects of climate change on the South Pole.
Scientists say the sea ice around Antarctica has not recovered from the massive melt earlier this year, when the continent experienced its summer. The amount of sea ice recorded during the continent's summer was also at an all-time low this year.
The melting of sea ice has a direct impact on the reproduction of penguins and other animals in the region. Because these ice floes are made of seawater, their melting does not affect the water level in the oceans.
But the lack of white layer in the seas has a negative impact on global warming, as it reduces the amount of sunlight reflected from the Earth into space.