Climate scientists are sounding the alarm over record-low levels of sea ice off the coast of Antarctica ahead of the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Sea ice helps to prevent the rapid flow of ice from Antarctica’s glaciers into the ocean, which can drive global sea level rise. Satellite data show 930,000 fewer square miles of sea ice extent surrounding Antarctica compared to the September average — far below any previous winter level. Walter Meier, a researcher at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, told the BBC, “It’s so far outside anything we’ve seen, it’s almost mind-blowing.”