CMA report warns of Arctic warming, rising polar extremes

China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Wednesday released the Polar Climate Change Annual Report (2025), warning that the Arctic continued to warm markedly in 2025 and that polar regions are seeing increasingly abnormal extreme events.

According to the report, the Arctic recorded an annual mean air temperature of minus 6.40 degrees Celsius in 2025, 1.14 degrees Celsius above the long-term average, with especially pronounced warming in winter and autumn. The Barents Sea and surrounding areas were identified as major warming hotspots, while sea surface temperatures in the Arctic Ocean were generally above normal, reaching the second-highest level on record in August.

A key signal highlighted in the assessment is Arctic sea ice decline. Monitoring shows that the annual mean Arctic sea ice extent fell to the lowest level since satellite observations began in 1979, and the annual maximum sea ice extent also hit a 47-year low.

In Antarctica, the annual mean temperature was minus 31.29 degrees Celsius, 0.55 degrees Celsius above normal, with notable seasonal differences. Antarctic sea ice remained at a relatively low level, with the annual mean, minimum and maximum extents all ranking among the three lowest values since 1979.

The report also noted diverging ozone changes: the Antarctic ozone hole eased and closed about three weeks earlier than usual, while Arctic ozone decreased sharply in March compared with the same period in 2024.

CMA pledged to further strengthen polar monitoring and assessment and to deepen international cooperation in addressing climate change.