NSIDC and Antarctica

Update: Below I noted that “there could have been one more record”. I was right. A 3rd All-time Record for Antarctic Sea Extent was set.

On October 3rd NSIDC put out a press release on the Arctic/Antarctic Sea Ice.

Let us take a look at the comments on Antarctic  Sea Ice.

“As the Arctic was reaching its minimum extent for the year, Antarctic sea ice was reaching record high levels, culminating in a Southern Hemisphere winter maximum extent of 19.47 million square kilometers (7.52 million square miles) on September 22. ”

Wrong. The 2012 record was 19.47 million sq km on September 22, 2012.  The 2013 record was 19.51234 million and was set on September 14th. Then the record was broken again with 19.51394 million sq km on September 21, 2013.

And looking at the graph until October 1st (when the shutdown ended the data ) there could have been one more record.

“The September 2013 monthly average was also a record high, at 19.77 million square kilometers (7.63 million square miles) slightly higher than the previous record in 2012.”

Wrong. The September 2013 monthly average was 19.35 million sq km which was 100,000 sq km higher than the September 2012 average of 19.25 million sq km. ”

One or two scientists claim it is because of the wind. But it could be the AMO and/or ocean temperatures. I think the wind claim is just an excuse.

“In contrast to the sharp downward trend in September Arctic sea ice, Antarctic September sea ice has been increasing at 1.1 percent per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average.”

And the anomaly at maxium was 900,000 sq km above the 1981-2010 average.

“The tiny gain in Antarctica’s ice is an interesting puzzle for scientists,” said NSIDC lead scientist Ted Scambos.

Tiny Gain? The September average in 1986 was 17.69 million sq km. In 2013 it was 19.35 million sq km. That is 1.6 million sq km higher!

“The rapid loss of ice in the Arctic should be ringing alarm bells for everyone.”

If it wasn’t for the August 2012 Cyclone. The trend would be up from 2007.