Surrounded

  • Released Tuesday, November 13, 2012
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The massive apron of sea ice that encircles Antarctica at the end of each winter has been steadily expanding. From 1978 to 2010, Antarctic sea ice has grown on average each year by an area about equal to the size of Connecticut. In October 2012 Antarctic sea ice covered a record 7.5 million square miles, more than twice the land area of the contiguous U.S. The sea ice around Antarctica melts almost completely each summer and then grows rapidly each winter. Scientists think a change in atmospheric circulation could be contributing to the ice growth. The continent's unsheltered coastline allows harsh winds to push the ice out into the ocean, and as these winds have strengthened in recent years sea ice has expanded. The visualization uses NASA satellite data to show how winter sea ice completely engulfs Antarctica.

At the South Pole, Antarctica was shrouded by more winter sea ice than at any time on record.

At the South Pole, Antarctica was shrouded by more winter sea ice than at any time on record.

This virtual flyover of the southernmost continent shows sea ice observations from NASA's Aqua satellite.

A close-up of the mountainous Antarctic Peninsula reveals how sea ice completely surrounds the coastline.

A close-up of the mountainous Antarctic Peninsula reveals how sea ice completely surrounds the coastline.

A view of the tip of the peninsula by NASA's Terra satellite from Apr. 2012 shows sea ice in the midst of its seasonal growth.

A view of the tip of the peninsula by NASA's Terra satellite from Apr. 2012 shows sea ice in the midst of its seasonal growth.

The cracked and varied texture of Antarctic sea ice is seen in this Oct. 2012 picture taken during a NASA research flight.

The cracked and varied texture of Antarctic sea ice is seen in this Oct. 2012 picture taken during a NASA research flight.

For More Information

See NASA.gov

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Sea ice photo courtesy of Michael Studinger

This page was originally published on Tuesday, November 13, 2012.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:52 PM EDT.