Temperatures in Antarctica are up to 40 degrees higher than usual. Researchers are shocked – is climate change behind it?
Antarctica – When you think of Antarctica, you automatically think of low temperatures and see glaciers, ice and snow in your mind’s eye. However, according to the World Weather Organization (WMO), east Antarctica is currently experiencing “extraordinary and unprecedented heat”. That doesn’t mean it’s T-shirt weather in Antarctica – on March 18, a temperature of -12.2 degrees Celsius was recorded at the Concordia research station.
However, that is 40 degrees more than the average for this region at this time of year, reports the WMO. At the same time, it is 20 degrees more than the previous March record. The Concordia station is operated by Italy and France. A new heat record was also set at the Vostok station: -17.7 degrees. The Russian research station holds the record for the coldest temperature ever measured: -89.2 degrees Celsius were measured there in July 1983 according to WMO data.
Extreme heat wave in Antarctica: “Event rewrites record books”
“This event rewrites the record books and our expectations of what is possible in Antarctica,” writes Robert Rhode of the environmental data institute Berkley Earth on twitter and asks himself: “Is this just an extremely unlikely event, or does it portend other events in the future?” Rhodes’ answer: “Nobody knows at the moment.” Researcher Stefano Di Battista put it even more drastically on Twitter: “It’s impossible, we would have said two days ago.” Now the “Antarctic climatology” has been rewritten.
Temperatures at the Antarctic station Vostok:
Average temperature in March | -53 degrees centigrade |
new record temperature in March | -17.7 degrees centigrade |
Coldest measured temperature | -89.2° Celsius (July 1983) |
Unusual heat wave: Autumn is beginning in Antarctica, temperatures should drop
Autumn begins in Antarctica in March, so temperatures should actually be dropping by now. Currently, Antarctica has about 25 minutes less sunlight per day and sees significantly less sun than in January. He also explains that Geoscientist Jonathan Wille on Twitter: “This is when temperatures should be dropping rapidly since December’s summer solstice,” adding, “This Antarctic heatwave is definitely changing what we thought was possible for Antarctic weather.”
Antarctica: Heat wave in one of the coldest regions in the world
Wille compares the unusual heatwave in Antarctica to a heatwave that hit the US Northwest last June. At the time, researchers were certain that this heat wave would have been “practically impossible” without man-made climate change. So is the unusual heat wave in Antarctica related to climate change? That can’t be proven. However, through the Climate change worldwide Heat waves more frequent and intense*, especially the Polar ice caps heat up quickly*.
The region affected by the heat wave is said to be the driest, windiest and coldest region in the world. Behind the unprecedented temperatures is an “atmospheric flow”, as French meteorologists told dpa. This refers to a band of moisture-saturated air a few kilometers above the Earth’s surface that transports heat and moisture. According to the WMO, the sea ice in Antarctica around the South Pole had receded during the summer meltdown in February than it had at any time since satellite measurements began in 1979. The area fell below two million square kilometers for the first time. (tab/dpa) *fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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