Arctic sea ice explained: what the new Cambridge study means for the UK’s winters

Fresh research suggests the Arctic could lose around a million square kilometres more winter sea ice than climate models have been predicting, and that could have implications for winters in the UK and across Europe

Most of the attention around Arctic sea ice tends to focus on summer, when the ice shrinks to its smallest point each September. But according to researchers at the University of Cambridge, what happens in winter could matter just as much – especially for countries like the UK.

That’s because winter sea ice helps control how much heat and moisture gets released from the ocean into the atmosphere, which affects weather patterns well beyond the Arctic. But scientists are now saying losing it is linked to colder winters and heavier snowfall in the UK as well as the rest of northern Europe and North America.

In March 2025, the Arctic recorded its lowest winter peak since modern measurements began, and that record was tied again this year.

Clues from 6,000 years ago

To try and better understand what was happening, …….