Both humans and wildlife depend on sea ice for survival. (Photo courtesy of Mike Hill via Getty Images)
New research suggests winter sea ice extent has reached its lowest level on record, with temperatures continuing to exceed 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius).
In 2015, world leaders signed the Paris Agreement, an international treaty aimed at limiting global warming to below 2.7 F and well below 3.6 F (2 C). The planet is currently consistently above that limit, with March marking the 20th month in the last 21 that the limit was breached.
Arctic sea ice coverage fluctuates throughout the year and typically peaks in March. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service now reports that the maximum coverage in 2025 is the lowest on record. The update is consistent with NASA’s recent sea ice report and highlights a worrying trend of rising global temperatures.
The data show that sea ice cover was 6% below average this year, making it the lowest monthly extent for March in the 47-year history of satellite observations. It also noted that global temperatures in March were, on average, 2.88 F (1.6 C) warmer than pre-industrial levels (estimated between 1850 and 1900), according to a statement from Copernicus.
The decline of sea ice poses a threat to human and wildlife communities that depend on the ice for survival. The decline also causes a host of negative environmental impacts and accelerates human-caused global warming. This is because liquid water reflects less sunlight than ice, and as sea ice disappears, more ocean is exposed, allowing the planet to absorb more heat.
On March 22, NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that Arctic sea ice extent had reached its maximum for 2025. The sea ice extent was 5.53 million square miles (14.33 million square kilometers), about 30,000 square miles (80,000 square kilometers) less than the previous minimum maximum set in 2017.
The extent of sea ice cover varies throughout the year depending on the season, but general trends show that it is decreasing.
The Copernicus update noted that March also marked the fourth consecutive month with record low coverage for this time of year. Sea ice coverage and temperatures vary from year to year, so climate change does not necessarily indicate that
Sourse: www.livescience.com
