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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSOURCE:\u00a0National Snow and Ice Data Center\u00a0| Jacob Turcotte\/Staff<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And the overall trend of sea ice growth in Antarctica has reversed in the past few years, from growth to a slight decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Loss of sea ice in the Northern Hemisphere is also occurring and has long been emblematic of the climate crisis. Antarctic sea ice has appeared more resilient. As sea ice steadily declined in the Arctic, Antarctic sea ice has oscillated between record highs and lows over previous decades. But in 2016, sea ice in Antarctica began a steady downward trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sea ice melt won\u2019t directly raise sea levels \u2013 the ice is already floating in the ocean. But the loss of sea ice means less sunlight is reflected into space, accelerating warming seas and potentially threatening ice shelves that hold back the continent\u2019s massive glaciers, some of which are melting perilously quickly. Scientists warn that if Antarctica\u2019s Thwaites glacier collapses, global sea levels could rise up to 2 feet \u2013 a change that could then endanger other glaciers too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The stakes are significant for polar ecosystems, not just global sea levels and ocean currents. One recently released study<\/a> found a dramatic decline in survival rates of young emperor penguins, an iconic bird as the largest of penguin species. If ice melts or breaks up too early, penguin chicks can die because they haven\u2019t developed their adult waterproof feathers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scientists have also been tracking some unusual breaking of ice shelves, which are formed by glaciers and are much thicker than the thin and variable sea ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n