PANJIM, April 24 -- A recent study led by Dr Babula Jena and colleagues from National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom, reported the conditions that led to unprecedented hindrance in Antarctic ice expansion and ice retreat ahead of the annual ice maximum in 2023.

In light of global warming, the Arctic has witnessed a significant loss of sea ice in the past decade, while the Antarctic experienced a moderate increase until 2015 followed by a sudden decrease since 2016. Notably, the Antarctic saw extremely low sea ice conditions during each summer from 2016 to 2023, with unprecedented slow ice expansion or retreat in 2023.

The slow ice expansion in Antarctic occ...