This year's sea ice minimum is 20% lower than the average over the last 40 years, equivalent to a sea ice loss nearly 10 times the area of New Zealand, said Tim Naish, director of the Antarctic Research Centre at New Zealand's Victoria University of Wellington, who was not a participant in the study.
"In some cases we are getting close to tipping points, which once crossed will lead to irreversible changes with unstoppable consequences for future generations," Naish said.
Global warming driven by the burning of fossil fuels has made Antarctica more vulnerable to extreme events and the impact is "virtually certain" to get worse, the study said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/no-quick-fix-reverse-antarctic-sea-ice-loss-warming-intensifies-scientists-2023-08-08/