This March, the Arctic sea ice cover plummeted to its lowest level ever recorded for the same period over the past 47 years. Simultaneously, global temperatures soared to the second highest mark on record, while Antarctic sea ice cover stood at its fourth lowest level for the same time frame. According to data from the University of Colorado in the United States, the maximum extent of Arctic sea ice shrank to merely 14.33 million square kilometers, marking a significant decrease of 1.31 million square kilometers from the average.