Key findings on sea ice from the EU Copernicus Ocean State Report (OSR 8)

#Antarctic, #Seas & Oceans, #Snow & Ice, #Image in the news, #Copernicus

Published on 14 October 2024

The Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) published the EU Copernicus Ocean State Report (OSR 8) on 30 September 2024, an annual publication which provides information on the current conditions and changes in European and global bodies of water.

A key finding of the report is that there has been a loss of nearly 2.2 million km² of Arctic sea ice over the last few decades, an area, which if represented as a country, would be the 11th largest in the world. In the Antarctic, sea ice hit a record low in February 2023, with a maximum extent of 1.9 million km² less than the average of recent decades, corresponding to a loss three times larger than the size of France.

This image shows a data visualisation of the minimum Antarctic sea ice extent reached in February 2024, showed in white, compared to the mean sea ice extent for February in recent decades, shown in blue.

By leveraging open data from the Copernicus Sentinel satellites, model data, and in situ measurements, CMEMS provides information on the Blue, Green, and White Ocean to support decisionmakers in protecting and revitalising the health of the ocean and bodies of water around the world, particularly in the context of a changing climate.

Source:

Copernicus. (2024d, October 11). Key findings on sea ice from the EU Copernicus Ocean State Report (OSR 8). Copernicus Image of the Day.