File:Antarctic Sea Ice at Ties Second Lowest Minimum Extent (MODIS 2024-03-04).jpg

English: On February 20, 2024, Antarctic sea ice likely reached its minimum extent for the year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). At 1.99 million square kilometers (768,000 square miles) the 2024 minimum matches the second-lowest measured in 46-year satellite record, which occurred in 2022. The lowest minimum was 1.79 square kilometers (691,000 square miles) and occurred on February 21, 2023.

Sea ice extent is cyclical, with ice forming over the oceans surrounding Antarctica as temperatures drop and daylight shortens in the southern hemisphere winter. Sea ice fully encircles the continent by the end of winter. Maximum extent is reached usually in September or early October. By December, daylight begins to lengthen and temperatures rise enough that sea ice begins to melt, reaching minimum extent by late summer (February).

On February 23, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of summer’s end in Antarctica. Some sea ice floats on the Southern Ocean, but only ice shelves cling to the coast of the Marie Byrd Land region of Antarctica. Arc-shaped clouds sit over the rugged volcanic peaks of the Executive Committee Range. This is the home to the highest dormant volcano in Antarctica, Mt. Sidley, which rises to 4,285 meters (14,058 feet).

The NASA Visualization Studio has created a stunning animation that shows Antarctic sea ice changing from its maximum extent on September 10, 2023, to its minimum extent on February 20, 2024. The visualization was published on February 28, 2024, and updated on March 1, 2024, and uses datasets collected by Terra and Aqua MODIS along with other datasets. It can be viewed by clicking here.