Antarctica’s Texas-sized ice gap signals a warming ocean

A Texas-sized patch of winter sea ice failed to form in the Bellingshausen Sea off western Antarctica, a rare gap visible via satellites and likely linked to ocean warming; scientists say this is at least the third year in four that the region has seen unusually low sea ice, with potential effects on climate, ocean currents, and wildlife, and implications for nearby ice shelves such as Thwaites Glacier.