As we have learned about the effects of climate change, Kiera Mulvaney reports for the Discovery news concerning the Arctic sea ice extent hitting new lows this past January as a consequence of warmer temperatures. On the article “Arctic Warms, Antarctic Ice Shelves Weaken” its reported a lost of 402,000 square miles of the Arctic sea ice extent compared to the average for the month (1981-2010) and a 35,000 square miles loss compared to the last recorded satellite era in January 2011. The temperature change in the Arctic, a shocking increase of 13 degrees F, is mainly attributed to Arctic Oscillation which allowed warmer air to the North.

Although the Arctic Oscillation was a natural phenomenon, researchers say that there is an average decline of 3.2% per decade of the ice extent in the Arctic. Just like the Arctic ice extent, the Antarctic sea ice extent has been also below average. A rare occurrence for the Antarctic sea as it tends to increase it’s ice extent.

Several theories have been studied to explain the phenomenon, from arguments attributing the changes in wind or water circulation patterns, to theory explaining the freshening of sea surface due to the melting glaciers and ice shelves around the Antarctic. Most importantly, researchers have found that a loss of about 13% of the total ice shelf area would be the maximum safe loss that would not affect the dynamics of the ice sheet behind them. As explained by Dr Johannes Fürst, co-author of the study, a higher loss of the ice shelf area will result in elevated sea-level rise.

Mulvaney, Kieran. “Arctic Warms, Antarctic Ice Shelves Weaken.” Discovery News. N.p., 09 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.