Antarctica may have entered ‘new regime’ of low sea ice as global warming ramps up

Record low coverage of ice in the Antarctic region has prompted calls of a ‘breakdown’ in a new study by Australian scientists. Photograph: Jan Lieser

Record low Antarctic sea ice in recent years may be a sign the region has entered a “new regime” of low sea ice coverage driven by warming, research suggests.

The study, conducted by Australian scientists, describes a “breakdown” in the link between sea ice and the atmosphere over Antarctica. It suggests that the area may have “entered a new regime in which previously important relationships no longer dominate sea ice variability”.