Significant reductions in Arctic sea ice extent, concentration and thickness have been consistently witnessed during the last decades. Whilst Antarctic sea ice extent was remarkably stable until 2016/2017, this has changed over recent years with 2022 to 2024 producing the lowest three minimum Antarctic sea ice extents on record. 2023 and 2024 have been particularly stark due to the lack of recovery of the sea ice cover, raising concerns for the future of Antarctic sea ice. Climate projections suggest a continued reduction of the sea ice cover for both poles, with the Arctic becoming seasonally ice free in the latter half of this century.
The scientific community is investing considerable effort in organising our current knowledge of the physical and biogeochemical properties of sea ice, exploring poorly understood sea ice processes, and forecasting future changes of the sea ice cover, such as in CMIP6.
In this session, we invite contributions regarding all aspects of sea ice science and sea ice-climate interactions in both the Arctic and Southern Ocean, including snow and sea ice thermodynamics and dynamics, sea ice-atmosphere and sea ice-ocean interactions, sea ice biological and chemical processes, sea ice observational and field studies and models. A focus on emerging processes and implications is particularly welcome.