Facts are a pesky thing to the left… but this actual science cannot be refuted… climate change is nothing but another hoax perpetrated by the lefty loons!!!
- - yeah, it's a long, but it's an interesting read - -
Arctic and Antarctic Ice Cycles
Richard A. Marks, Ph.D.
October 3, 2025
The argument arose over the hype of the climate alarmists screaming ... View More- - yeah, it's a long, but it's an interesting read - -
Arctic and Antarctic Ice Cycles
Richard A. Marks, Ph.D.
October 3, 2025
The argument arose over the hype of the climate alarmists screaming the Antarctic ice sheet is melting and causing sea level rises we are doomed narrative. It is a false narrative once again.
In doing this research, I chose Perplexity to pull data for me, which is presented below. I asked Perplexity the question of when was the earth closest to the sun in its orbit.
“The Earth is actually closest to the Sun (at perihelion) around early January each year, and farthest from the Sun (at aphelion) around early July. This means that during the Northern Hemisphere's summer months, Earth is actually farthest from the Sun, not closest. Conversely, during the Northern Hemisphere's winter, Earth is closest to the Sun. This is due to Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt, not because the Sun is closer during summer.”
Would the earth's close proximity to the sun in the winter cause reduced ice build-up?
“Earth's closer proximity to the Sun during the winter (perihelion) can contribute to somewhat increased solar radiation input compared to when it is farther away. However, this effect alone is relatively small compared to seasonal differences caused by Earth's axial tilt, which largely governs temperature and ice formation at high latitudes.
Precession of Earth's orbit causes variations in the timing of perihelion over roughly 20,000-year cycles, which can modulate Arctic climate and sea ice formation over long geological timescales. This orbital variation affects how much solar energy reaches the Arctic in different seasons, influencing glacial and interglacial periods.
Some scientific studies suggest that increased solar radiation during perihelion in boreal winter (when the Earth is closest) may slightly reduce ice buildup in the Arctic winter by warming the atmosphere and ocean marginally. However, this effect is subtle and acts alongside many other natural climate mechanisms like ocean heat transport, atmospheric circulation, and regional weather patterns that have a larger influence on Arctic sea ice extent.”
Now with the Antarctic region in mind, does the earth's proximity to the sun at perihelion have an effect on the artic sea ice extent
“Earth's proximity to the Sun at perihelion does influence solar radiation received by both poles, but its effect on Arctic and Antarctic sea ice is modulated differently due to the opposite seasons in each hemisphere.
Currently, Earth reaches perihelion (closest to the Sun) in early January, during the Southern Hemisphere's summer and the Northern Hemisphere's winter. This means the Antarctic receives slightly more solar radiation in its summer compared to when the Earth is at aphelion (farthest from the Sun) during its winter. Conversely, the Arctic experiences perihelion during its winter, when less solar radiation is received due to low solar angle and polar darkness.
Because of these opposite seasonal timings, perihelion tends to enhance Antarctic summer melting more than Arctic summer melting. However, the impact on long-term Antarctic ice extent is complex, involving ocean currents, atmospheric circulation, and Earth's orbital variations like precession and eccentricity.
Over geological timescales, changes in Earth's orbit and axial precession—shifting the timing of perihelion relative to the seasons—can lead to more pronounced warming or cooling in one pole, affecting ice sheet growth and retreat. For example, when perihelion aligns with Southern Hemisphere summer, Antarctic summers are warmer, potentially reducing ice extent. When perihelion aligns with Northern Hemisphere summer (which occurs roughly every 13,000 years), Arctic summers receive slightly more solar radiation, potentially influencing Arctic ice extent.
In summary, Earth's proximity to the Sun at perihelion currently has a greater influence on Antarctic summer conditions than Arctic summer, partly because perihelion currently occurs during Antarctic summer and Arctic winter. However, the effect on ice extent is modulated by other climatic and oceanographic factors that play a dominant role alongside orbital variations.geoscientist+2”
Now let us look at the raw data. I chose to obtain yearly data for 2019 through 2025; and 5 year data prior to 2019 starting with 2015 and stopping at 1975, with one exception, 1981. Since several references had been made to the ‘averages’ between 1981 and 2010, I chose 1981 instead of 1980.
The data is separated into Arctic summer and winter. The Antarctic is separated by Sea Ice and Land Mass Ice data.
As we examine the raw data, the first thing I see is that there is movement in the data from year to year. The second is that there is a cycle, a pattern. Third is that the continental land mass ice in the Antarctic is stable at 14 million kilometers squared through over 45 years.
Next, the Antarctic Sea Ice went from 20 mk2 in 1975 to 17.81 mk2 in 2025. However, it also shows fluctuation because the extent of Sea Ice was a bit more in 2010 than it was in 1975; and then it began to drop to a low of 15 mk2 in 2020. However, it started to increase back up to 17.81 mk2 in 2025. So, the rabid claims by climate alarmists are invalid.
Arctic Ice – is much different than the Antarctic. For one, there is no continental land mass upon which it sits. This means that there is no cold sink upon which the ground remains frozen, as in the Antarctic.
Again, the Arctic ice extent goes from 6.85 mk2 in 1975 down to a low of 3.74 mk2 in 2020. It then cycles up to 5.01 mk2 in 2021 and starts down again to 2023 at 4.23 mk2 when it again starts cyclical patter of rising to 4.6 mk2 in 2025.
Now looking at the one year where both Arctic and Antarctic ice extent is lowest, 2020, brings up a question. Why? I asked Perplexity to give me the data.
In 2020, in the Antarctic, when the sea ice extent was at a low 15 million kilometers squared, was the sun at perihelion with the earth?
In 2020, perihelion—the point when Earth is closest to the Sun—occurred on January 5th. During this time, the Antarctic was in summer, which corresponds roughly to the period with the lowest Antarctic sea ice extents.
Therefore, yes, in 2020 when Antarctic sea ice extent was low (around 15 million square kilometers), the Earth was near perihelion, meaning it was closest to the Sun during the Southern Hemisphere summer. This proximity increased the solar radiation reaching the Antarctic region during its summer months, contributing to sea ice melting conditions at that time.
There are many factors affecting the climate with respect to the ice content of both Arctic and Antarctic zones. The earth orbit of the sun, the earth tilt schedule, combined with Coriolis affect from the earth’s rotation, and the movement of high pressure zones and low pressure zones as well as volcanic activity.
The data speaks clearly. The climate alarmists’ consensus is alarming but does not follow the data.
Sources:
NASA Science
climate.nasa.gov favicon
climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ar…
nsidc.org
nsidc.org/data/soac/sea-…
Earth System Science Data
essd.copernicus.org favicon and essd.copernicus.org/articles