(ORDO NEWS) — It is not yet known whether this is directly related to the anthropogenic factor.
The temperature in Antarctica varies greatly depending on the season and region, and for many years it was believed that the South Pole remains cold, even when the rest of the continent is warming.
Researchers from New Zealand, UK and USA analyzed data from weather stations over 60 years and used computer simulation, showing that the South Pole in the last 30 years warmed up three times faster than the rest of the planet.
Scientists have found that higher water temperatures in the western Pacific have reduced atmospheric pressure over the Weddell Sea in the southern Atlantic Ocean for decades. This, in turn, increased the flow of warm air directly above the South Pole – since 1989, the average temperature here has increased by more than 1.83 ° C.
“It was suggested that this part of Antarctica could be immune to warming and isolated from it. We found that this is no longer the case, ”said Kyle Clem, lead author of the study.
Researchers have shown that the South Pole is currently heating at about 0.6 ° C per decade, compared with 0.2 ° C for the rest of the planet.
The authors of the work found that the level of warming is still within the possible threshold of natural climate variability, but they also emphasize that greenhouse gas emissions from humans exacerbate the situation. The study complicates the lack of climate data at the South Pole, since regular temperature measurements here began only in 1957 – therefore, scientists relied heavily on climate models. This helped them better understand the role of climate change in transforming the region.
The study still leaves us with many questions, but Clem hopes that these results will encourage world leaders and scientists to better prepare for the extreme temperature fluctuations Antarctica is likely to encounter. In recent years, record losses of sea ice, green snow, and iceberg destruction have been recorded. These changes can have global implications and lead to accelerated sea level rise. Scientists emphasized the need for further research, since a significant part of Antarctica is still a mystery.
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