France-sized gap opens in West Antarctica’s winter sea ice as temperatures spike
TL;DR Summary
A France-sized area of winter sea ice is missing from Antarctica’s Bellingshausen Sea, about 650,000 sq km below the 1991–2020 average. The loss coincides with extreme warmth on the Antarctic Peninsula (temps up to 15.4C, far above the norm) and is linked to ocean warming. The ice deficit threatens krill habitat, penguin breeding, and could hasten glacier melt and future sea-level rise, especially near Pine Island and Thwaites.
- Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average The Guardian
- ‘This Is Absolutely Crazy’: Antarctic Temperatures Hit a Record High This Month Gizmodo
- Antarctic Peninsula sees record high June temperatures Phys.org
- Antarctic Peninsula: Temperatures hit record June high of 15.4°C The Daily Star
- Antarctica's west coast is missing an area of sea ice larger than state of California, and it spells doom for an entire ecosystem Attack of the Fanboy
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