Northeastern China's Liaodong Bay on Wednesday recorded its largest-ever sea ice extent seen in December, with the historical high largely due to the cold wave that is currently sweeping northern parts of the country.

The floating ice, with its outer edge reaching out for 32 nautical miles into the Bohai Sea, covered a total area of about 6,138 square kilometers, according to the North Sea Forecasting and Disaster Mitigation Center under the Ministry of Natural Resources.

"This marks a historic high for the same period since daily satellite observation records began in 2001. In the next few days, with the persistent influence of cold air, the sea ice in Liaodong Bay will continue to extend. The outer edge of the floating ice and the sea ice area may further reach new highs," said Li Ge, the center's chief sea ice forecaster.

The extremely cold temperatures have seen more sea ice appearing as the sea surface itself freezes, while it also includes continental glaciers, river ice and lake ice that have entered the ocean.

As different levels of sea ice will exert different impacts on human activities, experts have warned business operators and residents to take precautionary measures to protect themselves from potential hazards.

"Marine aquaculture, transportation, oil exploration and other businesses, as well as residents living on islands, should pay close attention to changes in ice conditions and ramp up preparations for de-icing," Li said.