https://wapo.st/46bncS0
Antarctica reached its annual maximum coverage this year on Sept. 10, about 13 days earlier than average.
Sea ice extent around Arctic was the sixth lowest on record as well
I sent the article through Google Bard to summarize:
Antarctica just hit a record low in sea ice, with the annual maximum coverage being 398,000 square miles lower than the previous record low set in 1986. Scientists are concerned that this may be the beginning of a long-term trend of decline for Antarctic sea ice, since oceans are warming globally. Sea ice around the polar regions plays a critical part in protecting the adjacent ice sheets. Less sea ice means less sunlight will be reflected back to space, causing waters to warm more and destabilize surrounding ice and glaciers. Coastlines are also much more exposed with less sea ice, removing a buffer that could help protect melting ice shelves or ice sheets. Scientists have long seen these downward sea ice declines and effects in the Arctic, and now they think Antarctica is hitting a turning point much like the Arctic has. In just seven years, Antarctica has experienced three new record-breaking low sea ice summers. Antarctica has been showing responses to climate change in other ways as well. Antarctica and the Arctic are warming faster than the global average. Warmer ocean temperatures around the continent have caused major ice melt around the ice sheet, including destabilizing the Thwaites Glacier, which is about the size of Florida and contributes to 4 percent of annual global sea level rise. Moon said changes in how the ocean moves as well as the atmosphere have also become more apparent. Experts say that this is not great news, as polar ice is one of the world's biggest insurance policies against runaway climate change.