A recent study led by Dr. Babula Jena and colleagues at the National Center for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom, provides insight into the conditions that lead to extreme temperatures in the Antarctic. There was unprecedented disruption to ice expansion and ice retreat. Annual ice maximum extent in 2023.
In light of global warming, the past decade has seen a significant loss of sea ice in the Arctic, while the Antarctic experienced a moderate increase until 2015 followed by a sudden decrease from 2016. Specifically, the Antarctic observed extremely low sea ice conditions during each summer from 2016 to 2023, with unprecedented slow ice expansion or retreat in 2023.