Antarctic sea ice update 🌊🧊 After growing through the Southern Hemisphere fall and winter, sea ice in the Antarctic appears to have reached its maximum extent for the year on Sept. 19, 2024. This animation shows the ice extent—defined as the total area in which the ice concentration is at least 15%—at its 2024 maximum. This year, Antarctic sea ice cover peaked at 17.16 million square kilometers (6.62 million square miles), making it the second lowest maximum extent on record, National Snow and