News & Stories

Across the globe, snow and ice play a vital role in regulating Earth’s climate and providing freshwater resources to people, plants, and animals.

As Earth’s frozen regions change rapidly, NSIDC is committed to growing its research and open access data to better understand these changes. Read about NSIDC research and its contribution to science and policy making. Check out spotlights on how to use NSIDC data, tools, and resources. Learn about how we steward data and collaborate with scientists and organizations across the world to understand how the frozen parts of Earth affect the rest of the planet and impact society.

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Analysis - Sea Ice Today

Throughout February, Arctic sea ice extent tracked between second and fourth lowest in the satellite record while Antarctic sea ice extent tracked at record low extents.

This NASA image shows a collection of small broken ice floes in the Antarctic on Oct. 27, 2016.
News Release
Antarctic sea ice has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 1.79 million square kilometers (691,000 square miles) on February 21, 2023, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The 2023 minimum is the lowest in the 45-year satellite record.
Sea ice in the Chukchi Sea
Ask a Scientist
Since the 1980s, extreme weather events have increased, affecting millions of people across the globe. Multiple studies have suggested a potential causal relationship between Arctic ice retreat and extreme weather in the midlatitudes, but not all climate scientists agree that a clear relationship exists.
Analysis - Sea Ice Today

Antarctic sea ice extent appears to have broken the record low set last year. With a couple more weeks likely left in the melt season, the extent is expected to drop further before reaching its annual minimum.