Observational analysis reveals historic minimum sea ice extent in Antarctica, indicating atmospheric circulation extremes and strong winds accelerated seasonal melting.
On 25 February 2022 Antarctic sea ice extent dropped to a satellite‐era record low level of 1.92 × 10 6 km 2 , 0.92 × 10 6 km 2 below the long‐term mean. The area of sea ice was also at a record low level of 1.24 × 10 6 km 2 . Although no individual sector was at a record low, at the minimum there were negative sea ice anomalies in all sectors of the Southern Ocean, with the largest in the Ross (contributing 46%) and Weddell Seas (26%). The Amundsen Sea Low had a record low depth in October/November 2021, with a series of very deep depressions giving strong offshore winds. These accelerated ice loss during the melt season, creating a 1.00 × 10 6 km 2 coastal polynya in the Ross Sea. In the northern Weddell Sea, westerly winds of record strength led to ice export from the region.
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Turner et al. (2022) studied this question.
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