Sea ice concentration is a quantitative geophysical parameter describing the fraction of a given ocean surface area covered by sea ice, typically expressed as a percentage or a unitless value between 0 and 1. It is derived from satellite remote sensing (e.g., passive microwave, SAR, optical sensors) or in situ observations using algorithms that discriminate ice from open water based on radiometric or spectral signatures. Sea ice concentration is fundamental for characterizing polar climate systems, validating sea-ice and coupled climate models, estimating surface heat and momentum fluxes, and supporting operational navigation, data assimilation, and reanalysis of cryospheric conditions.
Arctic sea ice is headed for one of its smallest winter peaks on record, an AFP review of U.S. data showed Wednesday, as climate change shrinks the region's frozen cover and heightens geopolitical tensions.
Environment
Mar 11, 2026
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Antarctic sea ice coverage has likely rebounded this year, coming closer to its annual summer average after four years of extreme lows, US scientists said Monday.
Environment
Mar 9, 2026
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The tall black-and-white residents of Antarctica, who waddle around its icy landscape, are in peril thanks to the rapidly warming global climate. Emperor penguins go through an annual transformation called catastrophic molting, ...
Melting ice is an emblem of climate change. For sea ice, the Arctic has been grabbing most of the headlines for its truly alarming rate of decline. But recently Antarctica has followed suit.
Plants & Animals
Mar 2, 2026
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Their icy hunting grounds are rapidly shrinking, but polar bears in Norway's remote Svalbard archipelago have defied the odds by bulking up instead of wasting away, a study said Thursday.
Plants & Animals
Feb 28, 2026
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The Antarctic ice sheet does not behave as one single tipping element, but as a set of interacting basins with different critical thresholds. This is the finding of a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 18, 2026
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With the departure of the research vessel Polarstern from Punta Arenas (Chile) scheduled for this weekend, the "Summer Weddell Sea Outflow Study" (SWOS) international expedition will commence. Up to early April, a multidisciplinary ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 6, 2026
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What do microplastics, water color, and satellites have in common? Dr. Karl Kaiser, professor of marine and coastal environmental science in the College of Marine Sciences and Maritime Studies at Texas A&M University at Galveston ...
Environment
Feb 4, 2026
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Arctic sea ice has large effects on the global climate. By cooling the planet, Arctic ice impacts ocean circulation, atmospheric patterns, and extreme weather conditions, even outside the Arctic region. However, climate change ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 3, 2026
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An international team of scientists has uncovered evidence glaciers in the Southern and Northern hemispheres were synchronous during the last ice age.
Earth Sciences
Jan 13, 2026
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