Record-Breaking Temperatures Hit Antarctica, Another Indication of a Warming Planet

Temperatures in Antarctica have risen to a staggering 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) above normal due to a long-lasting heatwave. This is the second major heatwave to touch Antarctica in the last two years and our continuously warming world could cause it to last up to 10 days. 

What is also concerning is that the heat is covering a very sizable portion of East Antarctica, making up a majority of the continent. Though the temperatures have already been up to a concerning level for most of July, this is a new peak for the year so far. The intensity of the heat is certainly alarming for scientists to note, but what they find even more troubling is the duration.

Why Is This Heatwave Occurring?

While it is normal for temperatures to fluctuate in Antarctica during the winter months, this recent heatwave has caused more of a dramatic deviation. 

Scientists do not know for sure what is causing the spikes, but they do have theories. They believe the vortex has been experiencing a sudden stratospheric warming event, weakened by atmospheric waves that cause high-altitude temperatures to rapidly climb. The lower atmosphere, where the weather occurs, is also affected by this phenomena. Frigid air that is normally confined near the South Pole is veering north toward New Zealand, southern South America, and southern Africa almost like a refrigerator door that was left open. Temperatures have risen there in response to the deep chill that is escaping East Antarctica.

There could be other reasons the heat wave is intensifying. Antarctic sea ice reflects sunlight back to space, helping to keep the polar regions cool. The sea ice cover is at the second-lowest on record for this time of year, so the usual barrier between the colder air and warm waters below is not able to keep the air nearly as cool.

Edward Blanchard, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington stated, “It is likely that having less sea ice and a warmer Southern Ocean around the Antarctic continent ‘loads the dice’ for warmer winter weather over Antarctica. From this perspective, it might be a bit ‘less surprising’ to see large heat waves in Antarctica this year compared to a ‘normal’ year with average sea ice conditions.”

Global Warming’s Role in Rising Antarctica Temperatures

The Arctic is currently warming four times faster than the rest of the planet. The impacts of global warming in the Arctic have been the most intense across the planet, but now Antarctica is catching up. The continent is warming twice as quickly as the overall planet and the key reason the continent is getting hit in different ways is because of the impact of fossil fuel burning on Earth’s oceans. The warming of the oceans is causing sea ice to be lost at the polar extremities and solar radiation is being absorbed by the sea due to the exposure of dark waters that used to lie below the ice itself. 

Without solar radiation being reflected into space, the oceans heat up further and keep a vicious cycle going due to the production of greenhouse gasses. If all the ice in Antarctica were to melt as a result of this cycle, global sea levels would rise by more than 60 meters, inundating islands and coastal areas where much of the world’s population resides. 

While it is not likely this would occur for quite a long time, considering Antarctica’s ice sheet covers roughly the area of the US and Mexico combined, it is still not something to be pushed to the back of our minds. This is yet another reason the use of fossil fuels must be cut down dramatically because this would not be a matter of if, but when.