Arctic sea ice cover shrank to its lowest level since satellite observations started in 1979, marking one of the most alarming signals in global climate monitoring last year, according to a new report released by the China Meteorological Administration.

The report, titled State of Polar Climate 2025, which was released on Wednesday in Beijing, indicates intensifying warming trends, persistently low sea ice levels and increasingly abnormal extreme events in both polar regions.

It is the fourth consecutive year that China issued the annual assessment, which is based on an expanding network of polar observations and satellite data.

According to the report, the Arctic region's annual average sea ice extent reached a record low in 2025, while its yearly maximum extent hit the lowest level in 47 years.

"It was one of the most alarming signs in global climate monitoring in 2025," said Zeng Qin, director of the administration's department of science and technology.

"The polar regions are both sensitive areas and amplifiers of global climate change," Zeng said, adding that rising temperatures, shrinking ice cover and ozone shifts can reshape atmospheric and ocean circulation, radiation balance and sea levels worldwide.

The report indicates that the Arctic region continued warming last year, with an annual average temperature of -6.4 C, about 1.14 degrees above the long-term average. Antarctica also recorded above-average temperatures, with an annual average of -31.29 C, about 0.55 C above normal.

The report also found that extreme weather events in the polar regions have become increasingly unusual. In October, for example, rare rainfall was recorded at Antarctica's Zhongshan research station.

Ding Minghu, director of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences' Institute of Global Change and Polar Meteorology, said that rainfall is extremely rare over the East Antarctic ice sheet.

"Since the station was established in 1990, only 19 rainfall or sleet events have been recorded, including three last year," he said. "One of them occurred in October, during the Antarctic winter, which was the first such event on record."

Ding warned that increased rainfall could undermine ice sheet stability and affect Antarctic ecosystems, indicating an increase in extreme weather events in the region.

According to the administration, China has expanded its polar observation capabilities in recent years by forming a monitoring network that spans key regions in Antarctica and the Arctic.

The system collects data from research stations, including Zhongshan, Great Wall, Taishan and Kunlun in Antarctica, as well as the Yellow River Station in the Arctic. It also incorporates the PANDA observation transect, which extends from the Antarctic coast to the inland ice sheet, enabling continuous monitoring across extreme environments.

"These platforms are designed to operate reliably at extremely low temperatures and provide critical data for the scientific assessment of global climate change," said Zeng, the director of the department of science and technology.

Meanwhile, satellite observations have supported China's global monitoring efforts. The country's Fengyun meteorological satellites have tracked significant changes in polar ice, such as the massive rupture of A23a, which was once the world's largest iceberg.

The administration said that A23a has almost disintegrated after drifting into warmer waters. Its remaining fragment has shrunk to just 35.2 square kilometers — no longer large enough to be classified as an iceberg — marking the end of A23a's roughly 40-year existence.

Ding, from the Institute of Global Change and Polar Meteorology, said that China's Fengyun 3 meteorological satellite series closely monitored the iceberg's rapid rupture.

In 2025, A23a's movement accelerated significantly, accompanied by intense fragmentation. "As it drifted into lower latitudes, higher air and sea temperatures expedited melting. Meanwhile, meltwater penetrating cracks further accelerated the iceberg's disintegration," Ding added.

The administration said that China will continue to enhance its capabilities in global climate monitoring, forecasting and assessment while strengthening international cooperation to address climate change and support sustainable development.