Antarctic Sea Ice Reaches Its 2026 Maximum: The Third-Lowest on Record
Winter has peaked around Antarctica. According to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, sea ice there most likely reached its annual maximum extent on September 14, 2026, covering about 17.59 million square kilometers (6.79 million square miles). That makes it the third-lowest maximum since satellite records began.
Why Antarctic ice behaves differently
Unlike the Arctic, which is an ocean basin surrounded by land, Antarctica is a continent surrounded by ocean. That gives sea ice room to spread out in winter, but it also pushes the ice into warmer latitudes, which means more melting in summer. Antarctic sea ice usually peaks in September and shrinks to a minimum in February.
From record highs to record lows
From 1979 to 2014, total Antarctic sea ice grew by about 1 percent per decade, and satellites saw new record-high winter extents three years in a row from 2012 to 2014. That climb ended in 2015, and significant decreases began in 2016. There have been small rebounds since, but coverage has mostly stayed below normal, with both the lowest minimum and the lowest maximum on record in 2023. Scientists will keep watching to see whether the decline is a long-term change or a statistical fluctuation.
How scientists measure sea ice from space
Satellites with passive microwave sensors measure the microwave energy Earth naturally emits. Sea ice emits more of it than open water, and microwaves pass through clouds, so the ice can be tracked in any weather. The record began in late 1978 with NASA's Nimbus-7, followed by Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites from 1987 and NASA's Aqua between 2002 and 2011. Since 2025, scientists have also used Japan's GCOM-W satellite. Scientists count an area as ice-covered when at least 15 percent of it is ice.
Quick FAQ
When did Antarctic sea ice peak in 2026? Most likely on September 14.
How big was it? About 17.59 million square kilometers, the third-lowest maximum on record.
Which year had the lowest maximum? 2023.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory Image of the Day, October 12, 2026, with data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Image: NASA Earth Observatory/Michala Garrison.
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