Antarctic sea ice reaches new record maximum

[Perspicuo]

Antarctic sea ice reaches new record maximum
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141008122102.htm

On Sept. 19, 2014, the five-day average of Antarctic sea ice extent exceeded 20 million square kilometers for the first time since 1979, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. The red line shows the average maximum extent from 1979-2014.

Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio/Cindy Starr

Sea ice surrounding Antarctica reached a new record high extent this year, covering more of the southern oceans than it has since scientists began a long-term satellite record to map sea ice extent in the late 1970s. The upward trend in the Antarctic, however, is only about a third of the magnitude of the rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean.

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I posted this so as to prepare you for the climate change naysayers. "Look! The Antarctic ice is at an all time high!"

Yeah, but...



The but: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_WWXGGWZBE

 

[rjh01]

I thought glaciers were melting there? Or is it they are but the ice that is floating is not melting? If so why? But reading the article gives some answers.

 

[Underseer]

Thanks for the info.

For those too lazy to watch the video in the hidden section, here's a pretty picture:

 

[repoman]

This quibbling over these details in the face of a multi century (milennia?) long climate forcing factor of increased CO2 is farcical.

We are already at mid Pliocene levels of CO2, when the sea levels were ~20-25 meters higher than now.

 

[Uwe]

Shouldn't the total volume of ice be of more interest? (no time to read articles, but the discussion so far indicates the lack of data on this point)
If the glaciers are subsiding like a scoop of ice cream on a summer sidewalk, of course the surface area will increase.
Good luck scooping that shit back up into the cone.

 

[rjh01]

That is one of the issues with arctic sea ice. Not only is there less of it, it is thinner as well.