World's sea ice cover hits record low in February

World's sea ice cover hits record low in February

Polar Bears International photo of a polar bear in Svalbard, Norway, in 2018

Global sea ice cover hit a historic low in February as the world endured exceptional heat, with temperatures near the North Pole soaring 11 degrees Celsius above average, Europe's climate monitor said Thursday.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service said February 2025 was the third-hottest on record, continuing a warming trend since 2023 stoked by greenhouse gas emissions.

Combined Antarctic and Arctic sea ice cover -- ocean water that freezes and floats on the surface -- dropped to a record minimum extent of 16.04 million square kilometres (6.19 million square miles) on February 7, Copernicus said.

"February 2025 continues the streak of record or near-record temperatures observed throughout the last two years," said Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs Copernicus.

"One of the consequences of a warmer world is melting sea ice, and the record or near-record low sea ice cover at both poles has pushed global sea ice cover to an all-time minimum."

The poles are warming several times faster than the global average.

Arctic ice cover, which typically peaks in March, was at an historic low for February, eight percent below average, marking the third consecutive monthly record. 

In the Antarctic, where it is now summer and the ice is melting, the frozen cover was 26 percent below average across February. 

The Antarctic region reached its annual minimum on March 1, tying with 2022 and 2024 for the second-lowest extent in the 47-year satellite record, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Research scientist Ted Scambos explained that while sea ice loss was near average late last year, it accelerated sharply in January and February. "Antarctica seems to finally be feeling the heat," he said.

- 'Serious concern' -

Decreased ice cover does not affect sea levels because the ice is already floating in the water but its retreat has serious impacts on weather patterns, global climate, ocean currents, people and ecosystems.

When reflective ice gives way to dark ocean, the sun's energy, instead of bouncing back into space, is absorbed by the water, warming it and fueling further ice melt and global warming.

Arctic ice loss is opening new shipping routes and drawing geopolitical interest, including from US President Donald Trump, who expressed interest in controlling Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory.

Polar ice is crucial for many animals, providing shelter, breeding, and hunting grounds for species like polar bears, seals, and, in Antarctica, penguins.

"The current record low global sea ice extent revealed by the Copernicus analysis is of serious concern" said Simon Josey, Professor of Oceanography at the UK's National Oceanography Centre.

He warned that warm ocean and atmospheric temperatures "may lead to an extensive failure of the ice to regrow" in Antarctica during the southern hemisphere winter.

Oceans absorb 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases, largely from human activities like burning fossil fuels.

Sea surface temperatures have been exceptionally high in 2023 and 2024, with February recording the second-warmest sea surface temperatures for that month. Globally, February was 1.59C hotter than pre-industrial times, according to Copernicus.

- Heat streak -

While temperatures were below average last month in parts of North America, Eastern Europe, and eastern Asia, they were above average in northern Chile, Argentina, western Australia, the southwestern US, and Mexico.

The Arctic saw particularly high temperatures in February, averaging 4C above the 1991–2020 reference period, with one area near the North Pole 11C hotter than average.

Copernicus uses satellite observations of polar regions going back to the 1970s and shipping records before that. 

Climate scientists had expected the exceptional heat spell across the world to subside after a warming El Nino event peaked in January 2024 and conditions gradually shifted to a cooling La Nina phase.

Last year was the hottest on record, and the UN's World Meteorological Organization warned that La Nina is "weak" and likely short-lived. 

Since mid-2023, only July 2024 fell below 1.5C of warming, raising concerns that the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting long-term warming to 1.5C may be out of reach.

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Originally published as World's sea ice cover hits record low in February