Arctic winter 2022 sea ice found to be 10th-lowest on record

After growing through the fall and winter, the sea ice appeared to have reached its maximum extent on February 25. The National Snow and Ice Data Center, one of NASA's Distributed Active Archive Centers, maintains a satellite record of the wintertime extent.

The 1981-2010 maximum of 770,000 square miles is equivalent to missing an area of ice slightly larger than Texas and Maine. The maximum is the third earliest on record.

Every year, the sea ice begins to fade. After growing through the colder months, it reaches its maximum extent in March and then shrinks to its minimum extent in September. In the Southern Hemisphere, sea ice is different.

Each image grid cell spans an area of roughly 15 miles by 15 miles. Scientists use these images to estimate the extent of the ocean where sea ice covers at least 15% of the water.

Minimum and maximum extents have declined at a rate of about 2.5% and 13% per decade, respectively, since satellites began reliably tracking sea ice in 1979. Warming is caused by human activities such as emitting carbon dioxide, which traps heat in the atmosphere and causes temperatures to rise. The analysis by NASA shows that the temperature in the northern part of the planet is three times hotter than the rest of the planet.

The minimum extent of sea ice in February was the lowest on record. The geographical features surrounding the sea ice have caused it to show ups and downs. Sea ice extent can be influenced by winds and ocean currents in the Southern Ocean.

Sea ice in the polar regions can be spread out more freely if it is surrounded by land than if it is surrounded by the ocean. The record shows a slight upward trend, but it is nearly flat.

Gains in sea ice in the south aren't large enough to offset the losses in the north. The ice helps regulate global temperatures. The loss of sea ice in thearctic could contribute to further regional and global warming.

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