JAXA ANTARCTIC SEA ICE EXTENT :- 76,903,970 km2(December 26, 2019)
- 2019 is 5th lowest in the satellite record since 1979,
- Extent loss on this day 138 k, 53 k less than the last 10 years' average of 191 k,
- Extent loss to date 11.44 million km2, 0.95 million (9.1%) GREATER than the 10 year average of 10.49 million km2 by this day.
- Extent is 772 k more than 2016 on this day,
- Extent is 644 k more than 2018 on this day,
- Extent is 140 k more than 2005 on this day,
- Extent is 346 k more than 1979**on this day,
- 66.5% of the average ice loss of the season done, with on average 53 days to the average minimum date of 19 Feb.
The Perils of Projections
We are into the period of maximum daily extent loss. This makes projections even more perilous.
Average melt from this date would produce a minimum of 1.61 million km2, 0.53 million less than the record low on 1st March 2017, which is very unlikely.
Mind you, I did read one (and only one) comment on the recent Antarctic SSW that is giving an extra impetus to Australia's fire season that suggested the SSW could encourage sea ice melt in January and February.
However, at the moment extent losses have become very much below average.
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** Yes, 1979. 1979-1980 was a very low extent year.