The Arctic's winter sea ice decline has returned to a significant downward trend after a brief slowdown in the early 2020s, with new research showing that an unprecedented year-to-year drop in ice coverage has erased hopes that the region was entering a period of lasting stability.
A study led by the University of Southampton and the National Oceanography Centre found that Arctic sea ice extent during the winter peak phase fell 5.8% between 2024 and 2025, marking the largest year-to-year wintertime decline in the satellite record, which began in 1978.
