Scientists are raising the alarm about Antarctica's shrinking sea ice

The sea ice around Antarctica is decreasing and is significantly less than what is normal for the month of September.

This is shown by figures from the American space agency NASA’s Snow and Ice Center (NSIDC), reports Sweden’s Radio Ekot.

According to satellite measurements, the sea ice is 1.5 million square kilometres smaller than normal, which corresponds to an area three times the size of Sweden’s land area.

Such a small ice sheet has never been noted in the last 42 years, which is as long as the satellite measurements have been going on, says sea ice researcher Robbie Mallett at the University of Manitoba for Ekot.

He believes that the situation is unprecedented.

What lies behind the development is not completely clear, but the consequences of a shrinking ice sheet is something that worries the researchers. Among other things, the sea ice has a cooling effect on the planet and helps maintain the ocean’s buffering effect on global warming.

The development of sea ice can only be stopped by reducing or completely stopping carbon dioxide emissions, says Robbie Mallet.