Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #PS134
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Any post about declining #seaice extent triggers replies pointing out that as the ice is already floating it doesn’t make any difference to sea level. This is correct of course (well, nearly). So why does sea-ice loss matter? There are several reasons. 1/11
Firstly there is the high “albedo” of the ice. It reflects a lot of incoming solar radiation. Reduced summer sea-ice extent exposes more of the ocean surface, which is darker (lower albedo) and thus absorbs more radiant energy, warming the water. 2/11 
A second reason is that the normal seasonal fluctuations in sea-ice extent are of great ecological importance. The plankton bloom that occurs each Spring as the sea-ice edge retreats is the foundation of the Southern Ocean food chain. 3/11
This may look like a very ordinary seascape, but it isn't. This view is at 72°S in the Bellingshausen Sea, #Antarctica, taken from RV Polarstern expedition #PS134. In a normal year there would be a lot of #seaice in this area, but this year there is none. 1/3
@AWI_Media @BAS_News This month has seen a new record minimum in #Antarctic #seaice extent since satellite records began more than 40 years ago. In the Bellingshausen Sea most of the ice was gone by the end of November. 2/3
@AWI_Media @BAS_News The minimum #seaice extent is highly variable from year to year, and we should be cautious about reading too much into a single year. However, #Antarctic annual and summer sea ice extents have now been below the long-term average for 7 years. A trend seems to be emerging. 3/3
