World's Sea Ice Cover Hits Record Low in February

The Copernicus Climate Change Service said February 2025 was the third-hottest on record, continuing a warming trend since 2023 stoked by greenhouse gas emissions.

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Combined Antarctic and Arctic sea ice cover — ocean water that freezes and floats on the surface — dropped to a record minimum extent of 16.04 million square kilometers on February 7, Copernicus said.

"February 2025 continues the streak of record or near-record temperatures observed throughout the last two years," said Samantha Burgess of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which runs Copernicus.

"One of the consequences of a warmer world is melting sea ice, and the record or near-record low sea ice cover at both poles has pushed global sea ice cover to an all-time minimum."

The poles are warming several times faster than the global average.

Arctic ice cover, which typically peaks in March, was at an historic low for February, eight percent below average, marking the third consecutive monthly record.

In the Antarctic, where it is now summer and the ice is melting, the frozen cover was 26 percent below average across February.

The Antarctic region reached its annual minimum on March 1, tying with 2022 and 2024 for the year satellite record, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center.