Antarctica is in the depths of winter, yet the continent is surrounded by much less sea ice than scientists expected for this time of year. Throughout July 2023, sea ice averaged 13.5 million square kilometers (5.2 million square miles), the lowest extent observed for this time of year since the continuous satellite record began in late 1978.
The map above shows the extent of Antarctic sea ice on August 7, 2023, based on satellite data maintained by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), one of NASA’s Distributed Active Archive Centers.
Antarctic sea ice follows a seasonal trend, and each year, some 15 million square kilometers of ice grows and melts. Ice growth this winter has been very slow. In July, sea ice covered about 2 million square kilometers (an area the size of Mexico) less than the 1981 to 2010 average. The yellow line shows the median sea ice extent for July from 1981 to 2010.
Read more at NASA Earth Observatory
Image: The extent of winter sea ice surrounding Antarctica is in uncharted territory in the satellite record. (Credit: Lauren Dauphin, using data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center)