Arctic Sea Ice News and Analysis | Sea ice index
AsthelongArcticwintersetsin,seaiceextenthasincreasedatafasterthanaveragepace.BytheendofOctober,theicecoverhadreachedtheSiberiancoast,whileopenwaterpersistedalongthecoastsoftheBeaufortandChukchiSeas.IntheAntarctic,thespringdeclineinextenthasbeenquiteslow,butextentattheendofOctoberremainsatrecordlowlevelsforthistimeofyear.OverviewofconditionsFigure1a.ArcticseaiceextentforOctober2023was6.37millionsquarekilometers(2.46millionsquaremiles).Themagentalineshowsthe1981to2010averageextentforthatmonth....
As the long Arctic winter sets in, sea ice extent has increased at a faster than average pace. By the end of October, the ice cover had reached the Siberian coast, while open water persisted along the coasts of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. In the Antarctic, the spring decline in extent has been quite slow, but extent at the end of October remains at record low levels for this time of year.
Overview of conditionsCredit: National Snow and Ice Data CenterHigh-resolution image[3]