EventA University of Southampton and National Oceanography Centre study found that winter sea ice fell 5.8% between 2024‑25—the largest single‑year drop in 47 years—and that March 2026’s total volume was ~15 % below March 2024, proving an earlier pause was temporary and no rebound is expected.
New observations show that Arctic winter sea ice is once again shrinking after two record‑breaking warm winters, overturning earlier findings that the ice had stabilized.
Record-breaking Arctic winters in 2025 and 2026 confirm that the earlier perceived pause in winter sea‑ice shrinkage was temporary, restoring the long-term downward trend and underscoring continued climate‑driven loss.
A statistically tied record low in peak winter sea ice during 2025–26 marks another step in the Arctic’s ongoing long‑term loss, highlighting accelerating climate change effects on polar ecosystems.
Arctic researchers report that winter sea‑ice extent fell by 5.8% between 2025 and 2026—the steepest decline on record since 1978— underscoring a rapid, continuing loss of ice that could reshape polar ecosystems and global climate.
