Recent research suggests that there is a relationship between Arctic sea ice losses and the human burning of fossil fuels in all months. As a result of ongoing warming driven by human activities, the trend toward summer sea ice loss (from July to September, followed by a winter re-growth) continues. 1 Average Arctic sea ice extent is at its lowest since 1850.ĭuring the summer melt season, the sea ice’s edge retreats toward the North Pole, only to re-grow during the Arctic winter. But satellite observations show that Arctic sea ice has been declining in extent*, thickness and volume since 1979.
The Arctic Ocean is very deep and closely linked with the climate systems around it, making it more sensitive to climate changes than Antarctica.ĭuring the centuries of human exploration in the Arctic, sea ice covered the Arctic Ocean well year-round, up until recent decades. ("Perennial" refers to the oldest and thickest sea ice.) Antarctica, on the other hand, is a continent, covered by a very thick ice cap and surrounded by a rim of sea ice and the Southern Ocean. The Arctic is an ocean, covered by a thin layer of perennial sea ice and surrounded by land. The primary difference between the Arctic and Antarctica is geographical. Why do they behave differently? How They’re Different Arctic sea ice has declined over the past five decades, while Antarctic sea ice has increased, and then declined.
We often get questions from readers about Earth’s sea ice in the Arctic and the Antarctic, and the differences between those areas.
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