Antarctic sea ice hits record levels as it reaches 20 MILLION square kilometers for time time since records began in 1979
Sea ice surrounding Antarctica has reached a new record high. Nasa says it now covers more of the southern oceans than it has since scientists began a long-term satellite record to map sea ice extent in the late 1970s. They say that even though Antarctic sea ice has been increasing, 'the planet as a whole is doing what was expected in terms of warming.' The upward trend in the Antarctic, however, is only about a third of the magnitude of the rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. The new Antarctic sea ice record reflects the diversity and complexity of Earth's environments, said NASA researchers.