Antarctica is undergoing dramatic changes as sea ice hits its lowest winter levels on record and plant life rapidly expands on the back of rising temperatures.
Antarctica’s sea ice – the frozen seawater that forms on the ocean's surface – reached an historic low at the end of the 2024 southern winter for the second year running.
Figures from the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre, which monitors polar ice coverage, shows the ice’s maximum extent was 17.2 million square kilometres, its second lowest in a satellite record stretching back 46 years.
The September peak was 1.6 million square kilometres smaller than the average maximum; that’s an area the equivalent of about three times the size of mainland France.
Sea ice grows during winter and melts in summer, creating seasonal fluctuations. It is now preparing to shrink with the arrival of summer in the southern hemisphere.
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Unclear future
This ice loss in the Antarctic has left scientists worried about the future of the frozen continent, as well as the wider implications – given the southern polar region plays a key role in regulating global temperatures and sea levels.
The sea ice helps to keep temperatures in check by reflecting sunlight. But as it declines, the oceans absorb more heat, further driving climate change.
"The Antarctic appears to be entering into ambient disorder," warned French climate scientist Gerhard Krinner, a former IPCC author.
This is despite it being the only glacial area in the world that has remained stable for a century despite climate change.
The northern Arctic region, surrounded by land, is much more exposed to temperature rises and has been warming six times faster than elsewhere in the world.
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But Antarctica, a hostile and remote territory, is surrounded by the Southern Ocean, where the heat is more evenly distributed over a greater depth.
“We've known for a long time that Antarctica would take longer to warm up,” Krinner told RFI.
Recent instability, marked by rapid ice loss and extreme weather patterns, signals that the interactions between the atmosphere, ocean and ice are growing more complex and unpredictable.
"The impacts of Antarctic sea ice staying low for over 20 years would be profound, including on local and global weather and on unique Southern Ocean ecosystems – including whales and penguins," said Louise Sime, of the British Antarctic Survey.
But scientists say it’s still too early to draw any firm conclusions. We’ll know more by the end of the decade.
Greening peninsula
As the frozen continent warms, plant life is spreading in regions of Antarctica that were once barren.
A study this week revealed that mosses and lichens that previously struggled to survive are now thriving, particularly along the Antarctic Peninsula – which extends towards South America.
One of the most northerly parts of the Antarctic region, the peninsula is a key area for observing climate change impacts.
Using satellite imagery and ground observations, British researchers found the distribution of moss and lichen had expanded by 30 percent over the past 50 years.
The study reveals a significant ecological shift occurring in one of Earth's most extreme environments.
"This trend echoes a wider pattern of greening in cold-climate ecosystems in response to recent warming, suggesting future widespread changes in the Antarctic Peninsula's terrestrial ecosystems," the study said.
Although Antarctica's vast and remote wilderness remains largely defined by snow, ice and rock, the changing conditions threaten to disrupt the delicate balance of ecosystems that have evolved over millions of years to survive the extreme cold.
