On March 14, the reporter learned from the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and Polar Meteorology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences that, according to the latest observation data and comprehensive analysis, in February this year, the Antarctic sea ice area hit the smallest record since satellite observation in 1979, which was 1.92 million square kilometers. The instability of the ice layer caused by the abnormal high temperature in the South Pole triggered scientists' concern about the Antarctic ecology Concerns about climate change.

The most intuitive "response" of Antarctica to climate change is the change of its ice sheet, iceberg and sea ice. "The reduction of the Antarctic sea ice area is directly related to the rapid increase of temperature. From 1979 to 2016, the temperature in the Antarctic was relatively stable. Later, with the abnormal increase of the Antarctic temperature, the sea ice area was reduced, which set a record for the smallest sea ice area in February this year." Ding Minghu, deputy director of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and Polar Meteorology Research Institute, said.

He believes that with the shrinking of the Antarctic sea ice area, the entire Antarctic climate system will change, which will affect the growth of marine organisms such as krill and fish, and the habitat of penguins and seals will become smaller. Ding Minghu explained that when the ice sheet flows out, it often goes against the sea ice. After the sea ice melts, it will directly lead to the acceleration of ice sheet velocity and melting speed, and the acceleration of sea level rise; At the same time, due to the abnormal reduction of sea ice, its influence on the solar albedo is weakened, which intensifies the Antarctic warming effect.

After being concerned about this phenomenon, Ding Minghu's research team contacted Liu Weixin, an engineer from Yunnan Meteorological Bureau and Zhang Xuefeng, an engineer from Shandong Meteorological Bureau, who were carrying out China's 38th Antarctic scientific expedition in Antarctica, and proposed to strengthen statistical analysis based on the temperature monitoring data from Zhongshan Station and Great Wall Station in Antarctica from January to February this year to further explore the impact of temperature on the Antarctic ice cover area Suggestions on scientific research such as ecological environment and climate change impact. "Comprehensive observation data show that the temperature at Zhongshan Station is on the high side from January to February," Liu Weixin said.

The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest cold source in the Earth's climate system, which plays an important role in indicating global climate change. The reply of Ted Scambos, an American glaciologist, also confirmed the conclusion of Ding Minghu's research group. In view of the impact of sea ice changes on the rapid changes of the Antarctic ice shelf and ice sheet, Ted Scambos pointed out that the retreat of sea ice would lead to insufficient supporting force of the ice shelf, and the collapse would intensify, thus accelerating the rise of sea level.

The Institute of Tibetan Plateau and Polar Meteorology continues to pay attention to the changes and impacts of Antarctic sea ice area, and tracks and analyzes the temperature changes and anomalies in January and February in real time. The research shows that the Antarctic temperature in February is abnormally high, 2.4 ℃ higher than the normal year.

China's FY-3 meteorological satellite also continued to monitor Antarctic sea ice. Fengyun satellite can realize high-frequency monitoring of Antarctic sea ice 6 to 10 times a day, accurately capture the dynamic information of sea ice type, sea ice density, ice shelf collapse, iceberg movement, etc., so as to serve the Antarctic climate and environmental monitoring.

Zheng Zhaojun, a researcher at the National Satellite Meteorological Center, said that the area of Antarctic sea ice in February was consistent with the data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) of the United States, based on the daily observation results of Fengyun satellite. (Author: Wang Liang)

Antarctica is a vast region, and meteorological observation data are very important for global climate change and Antarctic ecological research. At present, the China Meteorological Administration has deployed more than 20 automatic weather observation stations in Antarctica. The picture shows the automatic weather station at the highest point of the Antarctic ice sheet Source: China Academy of Meteorological Sciences