Sea ice cover in Antarctica shrank rapidly to a record low in late 2016 and has remained well below average. But what's behind this dramatic melting and low ice cover since? Our two articles published earlier this month suggest that a combination of natural variability in the atmosphere and ocean were to blame, though human-induced climate change may also play a role. What happened to Antarctic sea ice in 2016?Antarctic sea ice is frozen seawater, usually less than a few metres thick. It differs from ice shelves, which are formed by glaciers, float in the sea, and are up to...