The images below show sea ice in the Southern Hemisphere. Select images from the popup menus to compare two images side-by-side.
Try this:
In the Southern Hemisphere (around the South Pole and Antarctica) the sea ice reaches its maximum extent in early spring, at the end of the long, cold winter. September is usually the month with the most sea ice.
The ice pack melts and breaks up over the summer. February is usually the month with the least sea ice (in the Southern Hemisphere).
The pink line in the images shows the average (from 1979 to 2000) edge of the ice pack for a particular month.
Click here to view an animation of the annual changes in sea ice extent in the Southern Hemisphere for a seven-year period (2002 through 2008). Click here to see the predictions that global climate models make about future changes in sea ice extent.
Go to the NSIDC web site to:
The pictures below show sea ice around the South Pole. Click on the popup menus above the pictures to choose which pictures to look at. You can look at two pictures at once and compare them.
Try this:
Sea ice builds up during the winter when it is cold. When is there the most sea ice? There is usually a lot of sea ice in early spring, right after winter ends, around September. Remember, in the southern hemisphere, summer and winter happen at the opposite times of year from the northern hemisphere!
Over the summer, when it is warm, the sea ice melts. When is there the least sea ice? Since a lot of ice melts in the summer, there is usually much less sea ice in early fall around February, right after the end of summer.
The pink line in the pictures shows where the edge of the sea ice is, on average, in that month. Compare the edge of the ice in 1979 to the pink line. Now compare the edge of the ice in 2009 to the pink line. Do you see any difference?
Click here to see a movie of changes in sea ice over seven years (2002 to 2008). Watch how the ice melts in the summer and freezes and grows in the winter.
If you want to see more pictures of sea ice, go to the NSIDC web site to:
The pictures below show sea ice around the South Pole. Click on the popup menus above the pictures to choose which pictures to look at. You can look at two pictures at once and compare them.
Try this:
Sea ice builds up during the winter when it is cold. When is there the most sea ice? There is usually a lot of sea ice in early spring, right after winter ends, around September. Remember, in the southern hemisphere, summer and winter happen at the opposite times of year from the northern hemisphere!
Over the summer, when it is warm, the sea ice melts. When is there the least sea ice? Since a lot of ice melts in the summer, there is usually much less sea ice in early fall around February, right after the end of summer.
The pink line in the pictures shows where the edge of the sea ice is, on average, in that month. Compare the edge of the ice in 1979 to the pink line. Now compare the edge of the ice in 2009 to the pink line. Do you see any difference?
Click here to see a movie of changes in sea ice over seven years (2002 to 2008). Watch how the ice melts in the summer and freezes and grows in the winter.
If you want to see more pictures of sea ice, go to the NSIDC web site to:
Page created March 23, 2007 by Randy Russell.
Last modified November 5, 2009 by Randy Russell.
The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer