Arctic/Antarctic Annual Averages from 2005 to 2015

Antarctic is increasing at +0.93 million sq km per decade

Arctic is decreasing at -0.17 million sq km per decade

Average Antarctic Sea Ice Extent From 2005 to 2015

Average Arctic Sea Ice Extent From 2005 to 2015

3 thoughts on “Arctic/Antarctic Annual Averages from 2005 to 2015

  1. Antarctic sea ice is seasonal, and nearly all vanishes in the southern hemisphere summer. The level of winter sea ice in the Antarctic is expanding mostly because the warming of the southern ocean is melting enormous amounts of ice on the edges of the continent, especially in Western Antarctic. That freshwater meltoff has a higher freezing point than saltwater, so it freezes more easily in the winter. The expansion of seasonal winter sea ice is the south is a result of global warming.

    None of which, of course, impacts or can compensate for the loss of Arctic sea ice. As permanent sea ice disappears in the north, this disrupts ocean currents, prevailing winds, ecological habitats, and weather throughout the norther hemisphere. These effects will happen regardless of what goes on in the south. Furthermore, the maximum extent of northern ice happens in March, whereas maximum southern ice happens in September.

    Getting a “yearly average global sea ice” tells you nothing about the actual effects of the very different changes happening in the two hemispheres. Adding them together is like adding the number of apples in Paris to the number of ravens in Denver. It might be an interesting number, but it’s meaningless.

    1. “melting enormous amounts of ice on the edges of the continent, especially in Western Antarctic”

      The ice edge at maximum is 1000km from shore. I don’t think there is much melting going on in September and even if there was, the freezing would occur near land. Not 1,000 km away.

    2. ” The level of winter sea ice in the Antarctic is expanding mostly because the warming of the southern ocean is melting enormous amounts of ice on the edges of the continent”

      No it isn’t.

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