Paris (AFP) – Global sea ice cover reached a historic low in February, Europe’s climate monitor said Thursday, with temperatures spiking up to 11°C above average near the North Pole as the world continued its persistent heat streak. Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that last month was the third hottest February on record, with planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions intensifying global temperatures. This contributed to a record minimum extent of combined Antarctic and Arctic sea ice cover, reaching 16.04 million square kilometers on February 7.
“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 operates the Copernicus climate monitor. “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 decrease in ice cover poses serious long-term impacts on weather patterns, populations, and ecosystems—effects that extend beyond the polar regions.
When highly reflective snow and ice give way to dark blue ocean, the same amount of the sun’s energy that was previously bounced back into space is instead absorbed by the water, further accelerating global warming. Antarctic sea ice, which primarily influences the global figure at this time of year, was reported to be 26 percent below average throughout February. According to Copernicus, the region may have reached its annual summer minimum towards the end of the month, and if this is confirmed in March, it would mark the second-lowest minimum on record since satellite observations began.
The Arctic, where ice cover typically reaches its annual winter maximum in March, has experienced record monthly lows since December, with February’s ice extent being eight percent below average for the month. “The current record low global sea ice extent revealed by the Copernicus analysis is of serious concern as it reflects major changes in both the Arctic and Antarctic,” stated Simon Josey, Professor of Oceanography at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre. He cautioned that warm ocean and atmospheric temperatures “may lead to an extensive failure of the ice to regrow” in the Antarctic during the southern hemisphere winter.
Globally, February was 1.59 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times, Copernicus noted, indicating that the December to February period was the second warmest on record. Although some areas in North America, Eastern Europe, and significant portions of eastern Asia experienced below-average temperatures last month, regions such as northern Chile and Argentina, western Australia, and parts of the southwestern United States and Mexico were hotter than average.
Temperatures soared particularly high north of the Arctic Circle, with average temperatures reaching 4°C above the 1991–2020 average for February, and one location near the North Pole recorded a concerning 11°C above average. Copernicus explained that a lack of historical data from polar regions complicates precise estimates of warming relative to pre-industrial levels.
Oceans, vital climate regulators and carbon sinks, are currently absorbing 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions. Sea surface temperatures have reached exceptionally high levels in 2023 and 2024, with Copernicus reporting that the readings in February were the second highest on record for that month. Climate scientists had anticipated that the exceptional heat would taper off following the peak of a warming El Niño event in January 2024 as conditions shifted toward a cooling La Niña phase. However, the heat has persisted at record or near-record levels, provoking ongoing debate among scientists about the implications.
While a single year exceeding the Paris Agreement’s limit of 1.5°C warming from pre-industrial levels does not constitute a breach of the climate accord, researchers caution that with last year’s record-breaking temperatures, this target is rapidly slipping out of reach. In the 20 months since mid-2023, only July of the previous year fell below the 1.5°C threshold, as reported by Copernicus.
The EU monitor utilizes billions of measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft, and weather stations to enhance its climate calculations. Their records date back to 1940, but other climate data sources—such as ice cores, tree rings, and coral skeletons—allow scientists to extend their conclusions using evidence from much further in the past. Experts suggest that the current period is likely the warmest the Earth has been in the last 125,000 years.
© 2024 AFP
