The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced on Monday that Antarctic sea ice levels experienced a significant decline last month, marking a worrying development according to

climate change experts.

WMO reported that Antarctic sea ice levels in June, which was the hottest on record, reached their lowest point since satellite observations began, measuring 17% below the average.

"We are accustomed to witnessing significant reductions in sea ice in the Arctic, but this decline in the Antarctic is unprecedented and concerning," said Michael Sparrow, Chief of the World Climate Research Programme, during a press conference in Geneva.

Furthermore, WMO highlighted that global sea surface temperatures were at a record high for this time of the year in May and June. The organization cautioned that the warming trend was not limited to surface temperatures alone, as the entire ocean was becoming warmer and retaining energy that would persist for hundreds of years.

"Alarm bells are ringing, particularly due to the unprecedented sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic," WMO stated.

In addition, WMO warned that the recently emerged El Nino weather pattern was expected to further raise temperatures on both land and in the oceans, potentially leading to more occurrences of marine heatwaves and extreme temperatures. Photo by Georges Nijs, Wikimedia commons.