Day 256 Antarctic ice is the highest ever for the date, and the eighth highest daily reading ever recorded. All seven higher readings occurred during the third week of September, 2007 – the week of the previous Arctic record minimum.
arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/timeseries.south.anom.1979-2008
NSIDC does not mention the record Antarctic cold or ice on their web site, choosing inside to feature an article about global warming threatening penguins.
National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
NSIDC does have a completely nonsensical discussion page explaining why Antarctic ice does not affect the climate.
Scientists monitor both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, but Arctic sea ice is more significant to understanding global climate because much more Arctic ice remains through the summer months, reflecting sunlight and cooling the planet.
Nonsense. There is very little sunlight reaching the Arctic Ocean in September, and much more reaching Antarctic ice – because it is located at lower latitudes. Arctic ice took its big decline in mid-August, after the sun was already low in the sky.
Sea ice near the Antarctic Peninsula, south of the tip of South America, has recently experienced a significant decline. The rest of Antarctica has experienced a small increase in Antarctic sea ice.
Antarctic ice is nearing an all-time record high, and is above average everywhere.
Antarctica and the Arctic are reacting differently to climate change partly because of geographical differences. Antarctica is a continent surrounded by water, while the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land. Wind and ocean currents around Antarctica isolate the continent from global weather patterns, keeping it cold. In contrast, the Arctic Ocean is intimately linked with the climate systems around it, making it more sensitive to changes in climate.
Antarctic and Arctic ice move opposite each other. NSIDC`s dissonance about this is astonishing.
Quick Facts on Sea Ice
