The Sigma 5 Event & You

  The record loss of Antarctic Sea Ice is a Sigma 5 Event Here is what that means and why you should care. September/20/2023 According to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency Ice has been melting off of the continent of Antarctica at a record rate. The scientists are describing this development as a Sigma 5 event. I will explain what that means and how that development will change the way we live going forward. A sigma 5 event is a statistical term that refers to an event that is five standard deviations below the mean. This means that it is extremely unlikely to occur by chance and is more likely to be caused by some other factor, such as climate change. Scientists are using the term Sigma 5 event to describe the loss of Antarctic Sea ice because the decline in sea ice extent has been so extreme in recent years. In 2023, Antarctic Sea ice extent reached a record low, which was more than six standard deviations below the mean from 1991 to 2020. This means