Copernicus report Sea ice cover shrinks to all-time minimum
A polar bear stands on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean. The global sea ice cover reaches a new minimum.
Image: Ulf Mauder/dpa
A floating iceberg in the Antarctic Ocean
Image: -/Kyodo/dpa
A polar bear stands on an ice floe in the Arctic Ocean. The global sea ice cover reaches a new minimum.
Image: Ulf Mauder/dpa
A floating iceberg in the Antarctic Ocean
Image: -/Kyodo/dpa
In late winter, the global sea ice area falls to its annual minimum. This February, a particularly large area was ice-free.
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- At the beginning of February, the global extent of sea ice fell to its lowest level since records began in 1979.
- According to Copernicus, it is the third month in a row to record the lowest values for a given month.
- According to the data, February was also the third warmest February worldwide - it was 0.63 degrees warmer than the average for the years 1991 to 2020.
The extent of sea ice at the beginning of February fell to its lowest global level since records began in 1979. According to the EU Copernicus program's climate change service, the area also remained below the previous daily negative record of February 2023 for the rest of the month.
According to the report, the extent of sea ice in the Arctic was at its lowest level for a February and 8 percent below the long-term average. It was the third month in a row with the lowest values for the month in question, Copernicus added.
In the Antarctic, the area of sea ice shrank to the fourth-lowest February value and was 26 percent below the average. However, this region, where summer is just ending, usually only reaches its absolute annual minimum in March.
World's third warmest February
According to the data, February was also the third warmest February in the world - it was 0.63 degrees warmer than the average for the years 1991 to 2020. It was also 1.59 degrees above the estimated average temperature in the period from 1850 to 1900. According to Copernicus data, 19 of the past 20 months were more than 1.5 degrees above this pre-industrial period. In 2015, the Paris Climate Agreement agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels if possible.
In Europe, the average temperature over land in February was 0.44 degrees. Although this was 0.40 degrees higher than the February average from 1991 to 2020, the month was by no means one of the ten warmest February months in Europe, according to the report.
The EU Climate Change Service produces monthly reports on air temperature, sea ice and the water cycle. It is based on data from satellites, ships, airplanes and weather stations around the globe as well as model calculations.
