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List of news

Air temperature anomalies in February 2025 compared to the long-term February mean for 1971 – 2000.

Far below the trend

Since the beginning of satellite observations, there has never been a February with as little sea ice in the Arctic as this year.

Though delicate, platelet ice can measure up to palm size.
© Mario Hoppmann, AWI
© Mario Hoppmann, AWI

Improved conditions in the south, but more of the same in the north

In both the Arctic and Antarctic, the sea ice developed as expected in January. New: A distribution map of the platelet ice in Atka Bay.

Weather station with Starlink connection (Gen2 antenna with motor) on the roof of the Technical Centre in Bremerhaven.
© Alfred Wegener Institut, Martin Schiller
© Alfred Wegener Institut, Martin Schiller

New Dimensions in Transferring Data from the Sea Ice

A quantum leap in data transfers from autonomous monitoring systems (buoys).

Helping users navigate sea-ice data: Data portal introduces new structure

New data portal at the Sea Ice Portal: Clearer, more informative and user-friendly.

© Stefanie Arndt/Alfred Wegener Institute
© Stefanie Arndt/Alfred Wegener Institute

Following the second-lowest December sea-ice extent, a new year begins

In December, so little new sea ice was formed on the Arctic Ocean that 2024 nearly ended with a new daily record low.

Projections of sea-ice development until 2100 visualised and accessible

Sea ice-related results for climate projections up to the year 2100 from the current Assessment Report (IPCC-AR6) are evaluated, visualised and available for various time periods on the SEA ICE PORTAL.

Annual cycle of sea-ice extent on the Southern Ocean.

At the lower limit of the fever curve

In the Arctic and Antarctic alike, the sea-ice extent was so low in November that the monthly mean values come in at the bottom of the historical statistics.

Sea-ice concentration in the Arctic Ocean on the last day of October 2024.

As winter begins, large areas remain ice-free in the Arctic

This October, a markedly low amount of new sea ice formed. Large areas of the northern Barents Sea, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and the Beaufort Sea were still ice-free at the end of the month.

Difference in the mean position of the ice margin in the Antarctic in September 2024 in comparison to the long-term mean for 2003 – 2014.

Antarctic: Second-lowest winter sea-ice extent ever recorded

No change in sight: For a second consecutive year, far less sea ice formed in the Antarctic during the southern winter than the long-term mean.

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