EXPERTS warned that sea ice around Antarctica has dropped to historically low levels which they say has far-reaching consequences for the entire earth.
The data gathered by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSDIC) showed that sea ice around Antarctica now covers less than 17 million square kilometers.
This is a shocking drop of 1.5 million square kilometers on the September average, with the area of vanishing ice almost equivalent to the size of Australia’s Northern Territory.
An expert from the NSDIC described the level of melting sea ice as ‘mind-blowing’.
The frozen sea ice acts as a temperature regulator for the planet by reflecting the sun’s energy to the atmosphere while cooling the ocean below it.
However, with the latest developments, scientists are concerned that Antarctica is turning from Earth’s heat regulator to a radiator.
With the Earth’s protective casing slowly melting, the level of sunlight absorbed by the ocean increases, which in turn elevates storm surges, and creates more hurricanes and typhoons.
Last month, satellite data gathered by the NSIDC that the growth of winter sea ice surrounding Antarctica has been very slow despite experiencing the depths of winter.
