Global sea ice cover hits historic low in February: Climate monitor

It continues streak of record or near record temperatures observed over last two years

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PARIS — Global sea ice cover reached a historic low in February, Europe's climate monitor said on March 6, with temperatures spiking up to 11 deg C above average near the North Pole as the world continued its persistent heat streak.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service said the month was the third-hottest February, with planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions stoking global temperatures. That helped push combined Antarctic and Arctic sea ice cover — ocean water that freezes and floats on the surface — to a record minimum extent of 16.04 million sq km on Feb 7, Copernicus said.

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

"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."

Decreased ice cover has serious impacts over time on weather, people and ecosystems — not just within the region, but globally.

When highly reflective snow and ice give way to dark blue ocean, the same amount of the sun's energy that was bounced back into space is absorbed by water instead, accelerating the pace of global warming.