Left: Bering Sea daily sea ice extent 1978-79 to 2025-26 with the past two seasons, 2011-12 and the smoothed 1991-2020 median highlighted.

Sea ice extent in the Bering Sea remains near record high levels in the eastern Bering but well below normal on the Russian side in NSIDC data. Area of open water now extends into the Gulf of Anadyr. Two storms this week to bring periods of south winds to the SE Bering Sea. #akwx #Arctic #SeaIce

Bar plot of the percent of the eastern Bering Sea, defined as the Bering Sea east of 175ºW, with sea ice concentration of 15 percent or higher each March 27 between 1972 and 2026.

Sea ice in the eastern Bering Sea this Spring is the most extensive it's been since 2008 and is only a bit behind the king of high ice springs, 1976, in ERA5 data courtesy @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social. However, ice extent is well below normal in the western Bering Sea. 1/2
#akwx #Arctic #SeaIce

(You heard that dry 'PLONK' when that line hit bottom?)

#seaIce #IceMelt #Arctic #ZackLabe #climate #ClimateScience #climatechange #ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #ClimateBreakdown #ClimateDisruption #globalWarming #globalHeating #ExtremeWeather #polycrisis

Graph showing the Arctic Sea Ice Extent daily value for each year since 1978 (each year is represented with a curve of a different color)

Graph showing the Antarctic Sea Ice Extent daily value for each year since 1978 (each year is represented with a curve of a different color)

In March2026, the #SeaIce global extent was 6.8% below 1991-2020 mean. Since the beginning of records (1978):
- #Arctic, 1st lowest monthly mean, with 6% less extent (-856,735km²)
- #Antarctic, 14th lowest monthly mean, with -10%> less exent (-441,262km²)
for more: osi-saf.eumetsat.int/sea-ice-index

Arctic ice loss brings dual heatwaves to Europe and eastern Asia The Barents Sea might seem too far away to affect our weather – but research shows it does

'The study ... highlighted how rapid Arctic warming increases the frequency of these extreme events, and the multi-continental nature of the heatwaves increases the risk of widespread crop failures, public health emergencies and ecosystem damage.'
#climate #heating #melting #arctic #ecology #seaice

4-panel graphic showing March median sea ice extent for the years 2023 to 2026. March 2026 has much more extensive ice in the eastern Bering Sea but less ice in the western Bering Sea.

March median sea ice extent around Alaska since 2023. A clue: one of these years is not like the others. AMSR2 data courtesy U. Bremen. #akwx #Arctic #SeaIce

Graphic plotting maximum daily sea ice extent in the Bering Sea by the date of occurrence each year 1979 to 2026, with the symbols for each year color-coded by decade. The 1991-2020 median maximum extent is shown as a dashed line.

Sea ice extent in the Bering Sea reached it's maximum extent on March 22 in NSIDC data, very close to the 1991-2020 median. The distribution of ice was anything but typical, with near record high extent on the Alaska side of the Bering Sea and very low on the Russian side. #akwx #Arctic #SeaIce

Happy to report the earliest (and final) stream for #ORAS6 has entered production. Just in the spinup period now, but we have some #reanalysis data valid in 1944 already. Now just to be patient until this reaches 1993 where the already produced stream awaits...

#ocean #seaice #nwp #era6

Why Antarctic sea ice suddenly declined after decades of growth • Muser Press For decades, Antarctic sea ice showed an unexpected pattern, expanding until 2015 before entering a period of rapid decline. Research published in the

Why did Antarctic #seaice grow for decades, then decline rapidly after 2015? New #research links the shift to stored ocean heat released by stronger winds, offering clearer insight into Southern Ocean #climate processes.
DOI: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

#ZackLabe #seaIce monitoring #Arctic

"the Arctic is entering late winter in one of its weakest states in the satellite era."

#climate #ClimateScience #climatechange #ClimateEmergency #ClimateCrisis #ClimateBreakdown #ClimateDisruption #globalWarming #globalHeating #ExtremeWeather #polycrisis

(2 / 2) But it became solid extremely late to Uummannaq fjord this year. In fact #Arctic #SeaIce is at a record low due to #GlobalHeating (see 2nd image), with huge implications for both our weather and Earth's climate system.

Left: Bering Sea daily sea ice extent with the past two seasons and the smoothed 1991-2020 median highlighted. Also highlighted is the 2011-12 season, which had the highest sea ice extent in the satellite era.

Sea ice extent in the Bering Sea has very likely reached its maximum for the season in NSIDC data. Current extent is the highest for Mar 28 since 2013. Unlike the record spring of 2012, extent is much above normal in the eastern Bering Sea but below normal on the Russian side. #akwx #Arctic #SeaIce

More bad news for climate monitoring. Much like the fiasco with satellite derived sea ice info last summer, the very short notice of termination of a product that’s been available for decades has real world consequences. #Arctic #SeaIce

Recent extremes in Antarctic sea ice extent modulated by ocean heat ventilation | PNAS Antarctic sea ice extent (SIE) has experienced unprecedented variability in recent decades, with record expansion through 2015, followed by an abru...

CAUSED AND/OR AMPLIFIED/INTENSIFIED BY HUMANS BURNING FOSSIL FUELS

#Oil
#Coal
#Gas
#FossilFuelPollution

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#Cryosphere
#Antarctica
#OceanHeat
#Currents
#SeaIce
#IceShelves
#Glaciers
#IceSheets
#TippingPoints
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming

Study explains Antarctic sea ice growth and sudden decline A new Stanford University study has helped solve a mystery about dramatic swings in sea ice extent around Antarctica.

CAUSED AND/OR AMPLIFIED/INTENSIFIED BY HUMANS BURNING FOSSIL FUELS

#Oil
#Coal
#Gas

phys.org/news/2026-03...

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#Cryosphere
#Antarctica
#OceanHeat
#Currents
#SeaIce
#IceShelves
#Glaciers
#IceSheets
#TippingPoints
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming

Study explains Antarctic sea ice growth and sudden decline A new Stanford University study has helped solve a mystery about dramatic swings in sea ice extent around Antarctica.

CAUSED AND/OR AMPLIFIED/INTENSIFIED BY HUMANS BURNING FOSSIL FUELS

#Oil
#Coal
#Gas
#FossilFuelPollution

phys.org/news/2026-03...

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#OceanHeat
#Antarctica
#Currents
#SeaIce
#IceShelves
#Glaciers
#IceSheets
#TippingPoints
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming

Arctic sea ice hits lowest winter level as unprecedented heat smashes records all over Earth The sea ice is crucial to Earth’s climate because without it reflecting sunlight, more heat energy goes into the oceans. Ice of all kinds around the poles acts as Earth’s refrigerator.

Arctic sea ice hits lowest winter level as unprecedented heat smashes records all over Earth

www.nbcnews.com/science/clim...

#GlobalWarming #SeaIce #IceLevel #RisingTemps #ArcticIce

Arctic Sea Ice Maximum Extent 2026

• Arctic sea ice maximum extent for 2026, at 14.29 million km² (5.52 million mi²) March 15.
• Tying 2025 for lowest maximum in 48-year satellite record.

2025 minimum – 2026 maximum.

#Arctic #SeaIce #dataviz
NASA SVS (NASA/GSFC&JAXA)
LEARN: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5629

‘Very alarming’ winter sees Arctic sea ice hit record-low for second year running - Carbon Brief Arctic sea ice has reached its peak extent for this winter, clocking in as the joint-smallest in a satellite record going back almost half a century.

#climatechange #seaice

www.carbonbrief.org/very-alarmin...

Map centered on western Alaska showing the satellite derived sea ice thickiness (meters) for the week of March 15-21, 2026. Ice thickness ranges from less than 0.3 meters in the open ocean in southeast Bering Sea to over two meters some areas in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.

Satellite-derived sea ice thickness around Alaska for the week ending March 26 courtesy AWI. Ice is thicker than 2011-25 median along the Alaska Chukchi coast and in the southeast Bering Sea, where the 15-year median extent is zero. Ice in the northern Bering Sea rather thin. #akwx #Arctic #SeaIce

Arctic sea ice shatters an alarming record. Plus, a rare discovery in a Texas cave. — Apple News Spotlight And more climate coverage.

#greensky
#seaice
#arctic
apple.news/AcQKNWBk7RMi...

CAUSED AND/OR AMPLIFIED/INTENSIFIED BY HUMANS BURNING FOSSIL FUELS

#Oil
#Coal
#Gas
#FossilFuelPollution

bsky.app/profile/zack...

#Cryosphere
#Arctic
#SeaIce
#SeaIceExtent
#RecordLow
#Albedo
#PolarAmplification
#TemperatureAnomalies
#OceanHeat
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming

Arctic Winter Sea Ice Ties Record Low, NASA, NSIDC Scientists Find - NASA Science For the second consecutive year, winter sea ice in the Arctic reached a level that matches the lowest peak observed since satellite monitoring began in 1979.

Arctic Winter Sea Ice Ties Record Low, NASA, NSIDC Scientists Find #Science #EarthSciences #Climatology #ArcticClimate #SeaIce #NASA

science.nasa.gov/earth/arctic-winter-sea-...

This research on how changes in #seaice can impact penguin distribution highlights the importance of #adaptivemanagement of #protectedareas.

#climatechange #seabirds #conservation

My story on a #NorthPole #expedition with UiT Tromsø, @unibergen.bsky.social, NORCE, and @awi.de onboard #research icebreaker Kronprins Haakon exploring past #Arctic #SeaIce decline is also available in German at:

www.nzz.ch/wissenschaft...

#ClimateChange #Klimawandel #Arktis #Meereis #Nordpol

bsky.app/profile/fire...

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

#Cryosphere
#Antarctica
#SeaIce
#IceShelves
#LandIce
#Glaciers
#IceSheets
#TippingPoints
#TemperatureAnomalies
#OceanHeat
#SeaLevelRise
#Infrastructure
#HumanDisplacement
#Oil
#Coal
#Gas
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming

New paper in #AGUpubs Reviews of Geophysics provides a framework of ocean‐sea ice‐atmosphere interactions. It focuses on processes affected by the shift from older ice to younger, thinner, and more dynamic #seaice types. @crices-h2020.bsky.social #Arctic #Antarctic

See: doi.org/10.1029/2024...

CAUSED AND/OR AMPLIFIED/INTENSIFIED BY HUMANS BURNING FOSSIL FUELS

#Oil
#Coal
#Gas
#FossilFuelPollution

bsky.app/profile/zack...

#Cryosphere
#Arctic
#SeaIce
#SeaIceExtent
#RecordLow
#Albedo
#OceanHeat
#TemperatureAnomalies
#PolarAmplification
#FossilFuelPollution
#AnthropogenicGlobalWarming

Splash screen for the post: Alaska-style March Madness: Unusually cold and regionally snowy.

Most of Alaska has been atypically cold so far this month, and in Southeast it’s been snowy. But the big story: rarely seen high sea ice extent in the southeast Bering Sea. Details in the Alaska and Arctic Climate newsletter. #akwx #Arctic #Climate #SeaIce

alaskaclimate.substack.com/p/alaska-sty...

Here's a quantitive answer. Sea ice thickness for the week of March 14-20, 2026. #SeaIce #akwx #Arctic