"Very concerned": Scientists worry about Antarctica's shrinking sea ice. March 3, 2024

View of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, on January 26, 2024 (Juan Barreto)

Sea ice levels in Antarctica have recorded historic lows for three consecutive years, presaging serious consequences for life on Earth as we know it.

But looking to the southernmost continent, scientist Miguel Angel de Pablo regrets that humanity seems oblivious to the warnings.

"We (scientists) are very worried... because we don't see how we can solve this on our own," the Spanish planetary geologist told AFP on Livingston Island, in the Antarctic archipelago of South Shetland.

"The more alerts we send out... to make society aware of what is happening, it seems that we are not listened to, that we are (seen as) alarmists," despite the evidence, he said.

The US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported on Wednesday that the minimum extent of Antarctic sea ice fell below two million square kilometers (772,000 square miles) for the third consecutive month in February - the height of the austral summer melt season.

The minimum sea ice cover in the three years was the lowest since records began 46 years ago.

Melting sea ice has no immediate impact on ocean levels, as it is formed by the freezing of salt water already in the ocean.

However, white ice reflects the sun's rays more than darker ocean water, and its loss accentuates global warming while exposing the freshwater ice sheet on land, which could cause a catastrophic rise in sea levels if it melts.

"Although we are far from any inhabited part of the planet, in reality, what happens in Antarctica affects everything" in the rest of the world, said De Pablo.

- 'Not easy to undo' -

A study carried out last year found that almost half of Antarctica's ice shelves - floating plates attached to the land mass - have also been reduced in volume over the last 25 years, releasing trillions of tons of meltwater into the oceans.

This has implications not only for sea levels but also for the salinity and temperature of the ocean, said De Pablo.

Some scientists say that the evidence of the impact of climate change on the melting of sea ice in Antarctica - known for significant annual variations in its summer thaws and winter freezes - is less clear than in the Arctic North Pole.

What there is no doubt about is that ongoing global warming caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases will affect these patterns in the future.

De Pablo, who has spent 16 years studying Antarctic ice, told AFP that it may already be too late to stop the trend.

"The problem is that these degradations are not easily undone," he said.

"Even if today we (changed) the rhythms of life that we have in Western societies, tomorrow the glaciers would not stop degrading and the frozen soils would be lost," with all that this implies.

Scientists estimate that global temperatures are already 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. The 2015 Paris Agreement set out to limit warming to 1.5 C (2.7 Fahrenheit) by reducing emissions of gases that heat the planet.

"We have to ask ourselves if the way we live our daily lives is worth it because, in the end, we will lose our planet," said De Pablo.

"There is no second planet" Earth, he added.

By Juan BARRETO

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