On February the 13th it was reported that warmer air and water have depleted the coverage of sea ice to just 1.91 million square km. The main cause for this increasing melting has been put down to the increase in high air temperatures which have been 1.5C above the long-term average.
The sea ice around the Antarctic continent creates a safe haven for algae to thrive. The algae are a crucial food source to Antarctic krill which are a highly important source of food to the whales, penguins and other birds. The current lack of sea ice is breaking up a long food chain in which the species living in this area rely upon.
On February the 13th it was reported that warmer air and water have depleted the coverage of sea ice to just 1.91 million square km
Though the increase in air and water temperature are recognised as having some links to climate change, scientists have commented that the Antarctic sea-ice is a complicated phenomenon and simply cannot be solely caused by climate change.
