Arctic sea ice has shrunk to a tie for its lowest winter peak on record.
Victims’ relatives, Bexar County DA react to guilty verdict in Christopher Preciado capital murder caseUniversal City band teacher accused of child indecency, grooming may have other victims, police sayChristopher Preciado found guilty in 2023 capital murder case, sentenced to life in prisonAlamo Heights playground named in honor of Camp Mystic camper who died in Hill Country floodsRaccoon tests positive for rabies in New Braunfels; no humans exposed to disease, city officials sayThe Tejano Next Gen Fund providing scholarship to young Tejano musiciansFILE - Pieces of ice move through the sea in Qoornoq Island, near Nuuk, Greenland, Feb.
17, 2025. FILE - Sea ice covers the ocean at Yalour Islands in Antarctica, Nov. 24, 2025. FILE - Pieces of ice move through the sea in Qoornoq Island, near Nuuk, Greenland, Feb. 17, 2025. – Vital Arctic sea ice shrank to tie its lowest measured level for the winter, the season when ice grows, as a warming Earth shattered records across the continents.because without the ice reflecting sunlight, more heat energy goes into the oceans. Ice of all kinds around the poles acts as Earth's refrigerator.was announced Thursday as temperatures broke March heat records across the United States, all over Mexico, in Australia, across Northern Africa and through parts of Northern Europe. Climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, who tracks extreme temperatures, called the extreme March temperatures “by far the most extreme heat event in world climatic history” and said on social media that the next few days would be “much worse.” Sixteen states broke March temperature records in the past week or so, said weather historian Christ Burt. Twenty-seven locations had temperatures in the past week high enough to tie or surpass the hottest April day on record, including St. Louis, meteorologists said. Mexico has had thousands of records shattered, some of them warmer than the hottest May temperatures, but that's nothing compared with what's happening in Asia, where “dozens of thousands of monthly records” were smashed by 30 to 35 degrees margins, Herrera said. Yet at the same time earlier this week, Antarctica set a record for the coldest March day anywhere on Earth at minus 105.5 degrees , according to Herrera and Burt.Each year Arctic sea ice grows over the cold winter and shrinks in the heat of the summer. This year the growth was so small that its peak, before starting to shrink, measured 5.52 million square miles . That's slightly smaller than last year's 5.53 million square miles , but the National Snow and Ice Data Center, which does the measuring, considers those two figures so close that it's a tie. This year's sea ice area was about 525,000 square miles lower than the 1981 to 2010 winter average peak. That's about twice the size of Texas. “As temperatures have warmed and are continuing to warm, especially in the polar region, there is less opportunity to grow ice and it’s gonna tend to, on average, be less,” said data center senior scientist Walt Meier. “It’s not like we are seeing a regime shift or anything. It’s more of a steady decline in the winter and at the maximum. And it also gives us a head start on the summer melt season. We’re starting from a lower number.”The summer melt season — which precedes a September measurement known as the Arctic sea ice minimum — is “really the critical time,” Meier said. One reason is that when there's less white ice reflecting the strong summer sun, the oceans can absorb more heat. And when that happens, the Arctic warms closer to temperatures further south and atmospheric pressure changes. A leading theory — that is still controversial — says thoseMelting sea ice does not contribute to sea level rise. Winter sea ice growth season is also more variable with weather changes, so just because the Arctic hits a record small amount in March, it doesn't mean that the summer will be record low, Meier said. “The winter maximum is certainly interesting,” Meier said. “It is, I'd say, a climate change global warming signal.” On the other end of the planet, Antarctic sea ice is heavily affected by local weather and ocean factors. In February, Antarctica hit its annual low point and while it was smaller than the 30-year average, it was nowhere near theThe Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’sCopyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Proposed border wall threatens prehistoric cave artHundreds of millions of dollars lost each year to scams at crypto ATMsFamily reacts to guilty verdict in Christopher Preciado trialCastle Hills police department says the armed suspect shot this morning has diedRecords show New Braunfels ISD pulling, restricting more books than it has publicly listed74 year old woman hit crossing South General McMullenNew emissions test could cost Bexar County vehicle ownersSan Antonio attorney admits stealing over half a million dollars from children's inheritance.Spurs respond after viral video at game sparks backlashReuniting items found along the Guadalupe River after the deadly floods
Walt Meier Climate Environment U.S. News World News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Lightning on Jupiter could be up to 1 million times stronger than on EarthCharles Q. Choi is a contributing writer for Space.com and Live Science. He covers all things human origins and astronomy as well as physics, animals and general science topics. Charles has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida.
Read more »
Arctic sea ice hits lowest winter level on recordThe Arctic sea ice maximum this year effectively tied for the lowest ever on record, with major implications for polar ecosystems and global warming
Read more »
Arctic snow ice ties for lowest maximum extent on record in 2026, Boulder research center findsStephanie Butzer joined the Denver7 team as a digital producer in June 2018, became the senior digital producer in February 2023 and as of December 2023, is the team's executive producer.
Read more »
Breakthrough propulsion system lets satellites use Earth’s atmosphere as fuel in low orbitThe new efforts in air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) systems promise to revolutionize how satellites operate—especially in extremely low Earth orbits.
Read more »
Extreme cold triggers disaster declaration by governor for Northwest Arctic BoroughAlaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday declared a disaster in the Northwest Arctic Borough after months of extreme cold caused widespread utility disruptions and damage to water and sewer systems in several communities.
Read more »
Scientists train to dive beneath polar ice as climate change warms the Arctic and AntarcticaScientists are learning to dive beneath polar ice and study the study the flora and fauna below.
Read more »