Antarctic sea ice maximum at third lowest for 2025

Antarctic sea ice has likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 17.81 million square kilometers (6.88 million square miles) on September 17, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder). The 2025 maximum is the third lowest in the 47-year satellite record. The record low maximum occurred in 2023.