Publication: Advances in Polar Science (APS). seaVol. 34, No. 1, 5~6, March 2023
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Author: YANG Yingyue, LIU Hailong and WANG Xidong
DOI: 10.13679/j.advps.2022.0022
CNARC member: Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC)
Abstract: Satellite observations over the past four decades have shown that the long-term trend of Antarctic sea ice extent (SIE) is opposite to the trend of sea ice extent in the Arctic. Arctic sea ice extent continues to decline while Antarctic SIE is generally on the rise except for a dramatic decline in 2015–2016. Based on the 40-year climatology from 1981 to 2020, Antarctic SIE anomaly in December 2016 is –2.1×106 km2, reaching the minimum since 1979. There are many studies on the cause of this record decline. This present review summarizes the spatial and temporal characters of Antarctic sea ice and recaps major findings on the causes of record decline in 2015–2016 from the perspective of direct thermodynamic and dynamic process of atmosphere and ocean as well as the modulation of climate modes. Finally, the challenges and key scientific problems to be solved in the future of Antarctic sea ice research are presented.
Key words: Antarctic sea ice, sea ice extent, sea ice concentration, climate variability
