Scientists Are Worried About Antarctica’s Unprecedented Lack of Sea Ice Growth
The region’s ice has failed to replenish in the midst of winter at the bottom of the world, creating a shocking “six sigma” event.
An iceberg in the Weddell Sea, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, in 2022. Ice is missing all around the continent, but it’s particularly pronounced near the Antarctic Peninsula and areas north of the Weddell Sea.
Photographer: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty ImagesAmid a summer of record heat, the most dramatic impact may be taking place under the cover of Antarctic night.
The continent at the bottom of the world normally sees a halo of sea ice grow around it each summer — or winter, if you’re in the southern hemisphere — but this year has been anything but normal. Scientists have been watching with shock as sea ice growth stalls out in ways unseen in modern history. The lack of rebound has entered territory known as “six sigma,” an obscure scientific term that denotes the extraordinary situation unfolding.