A shift in Antarctica's melting trends and slushy Arctic ice pushes warming from changing sea ice toward the upper limits of climate model estimates.

As sea ice disappears and grows less reflective, the Arctic has lost around a quarter of its cooling power since 1980, and the world has lost up to 15%, according to new research led by University of Michigan scientists, and published by Science Daily.

Using satellite measurements of cloud cover and the solar radiation reflected by sea ice between 1980 and 2023, the researchers found that the percent decrease in sea ice's cooling power is about twice as high as the percent decrease in annual average sea ice area in both the Arctic and Antarctic.

The added warming impact from this change to sea ice cooling power is toward the higher end of climate model estimates.

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