GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Much of the world’s sea ice is enclosed within the polar ice packs in the Earth’s polar regions: the Arctic ice pack of the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic ice pack of the Southern Ocean.

Detailed explanation-2: -Where is the Arctic Ocean located? The Arctic Ocean is centered approximately on the North Pole. The ocean is almost completely encircled by the landmasses of North America, Eurasia, and Greenland.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Arctic is an ocean, covered by a thin layer of perennial sea ice and surrounded by land. ("Perennial” refers to the oldest and thickest sea ice.) Antarctica, on the other hand, is a continent, covered by a very thick ice cap and surrounded by a rim of sea ice and the Southern Ocean.

Detailed explanation-4: -Where is sea ice? In late winter, Arctic sea ice covers on average* 15.5 million square kilometers (6 million square miles), and Antarctic sea ice covers about 18.5 million square kilometers (7 million square miles).

Detailed explanation-5: -Maximum ice area is usually reached around September and minimum ice area around March. Due to these differences, the sea ice area in the Antarctic is smaller than in the Arctic at the end of summer, and larger at the end of winter.