Sea ice concentrations during the southern hemisphere summer were well below average in all sectors of the Southern Ocean.
Startlingly, the record lows this year and in 2022 are about 30 percent below the 1981-2010 average.
"These low sea ice conditions may have important implications for the stability of Antarctic ice shelves and ultimately for global sea level rise," said Burgess.
"Polar ice caps are a sensitive indicator of the climate crisis."
Melting sea ice has no discernible impact on sea levels because the ice is already in ocean water.
But diminished ice cover is nonetheless a major concern because it helps accelerate global warming, including in the Arctic region.
About 90 percent of the Sun's energy that hits white sea ice is reflected back into space. But when sunlight hits dark, unfrozen ocean water, nearly the same amount of that energy is absorbed instead, contributing directly to global warming.
