08/03/2023 (Agence Europe) – On 16 February 2023, the Antarctic ice pack reached its lowest monthly extent in 45 years of satellite data. This is according to a press release published on Wednesday 8 March by the European climate observation programme Copernicus (C3S). This area is 34% below the usual average for February. The daily sea ice extent in Antarctica also shows a historic low for the same period, exceeding a previous record set the previous year. “These low sea ice conditions may have important implications for the stability of Antarctic ice shelves and ultimately for global sea level rise”, the observatory’s deputy chief, Samantha Burgess, said in the statement. She highlights that: “Polar ice caps are a sensitive indicator of the climate crisis”. Link to the press release: https://aeur.eu/f/5p8 (NP)