On the Antarctic Peninsula, a record temperature of 15.4°C was recorded for June, significantly exceeding previous records and average values. This is occurring amid abnormal ice melting during the current winter, according to climate experts who spoke to AFP on Thursday.
The Argentine research station Base Esperanza, located in the northern part of the peninsula, recorded this unprecedented figure on June 6. The previous June maximum was 13.3°C in 1998. The current temperature of 15.4°C greatly surpasses the average June value for Base Esperanza, which is -6.2°C. According to climate expert José Luis Stella of the Argentine National Meteorological Service, such a figure is “very unusual for this time of year”.
Record Temperatures at Other Stations
Other Argentine bases, Marambio and San Martín, also recorded record temperatures on June 5 and 6. At Marambio, the thermometer rose to 11.8°C, exceeding the previous maximum of 9.2°C and significantly surpassing the average June value of -10.7°C. At the San Martín station, it reached 9.4°C, while the previous record was 7.8°C, and the average June value is -5.6°C.
Professor Raúl Cordero of the University of Groningen noted that this heat wave in northern Antarctica is not an isolated event. “It confirms a trend,” he told AFP, warning that “such events will continue to occur with increasing frequency” if global warming is not halted.
Consequences for Ecosystems and Researchers
Polar climate expert Thomas Coton Harrison of the British Antarctic Service believes that the current heat is the result of a combination of factors, including climate change. “There is evidence that climate change is playing a role, but the effect in this region is complex,” he stated, adding that “since Antarctica experiences such significant temperature fluctuations, we need to collect a lot of data over many years to form a picture of the underlying climate.” Both experts, Cordero and Coton Harrison, agree that regional temperatures have been rising over the years and are already showing visible consequences.
Coton Harrison noted that “an astonishing amount of precipitation is falling as rain, not snow”. This has consequences for polar ecosystems, such as penguin colonies, and also creates challenges for his colleagues working at Antarctic bases, as the large amount of liquid rain causes runoff and ice formation.
Base Esperanza has been recording above-freezing temperatures every day for three weeks. According to Cordero, this trend has led to “large areas on the far northern part of the white continent remaining snow-free”, which is “an unusual scene in the Antarctic landscape in winter”.
Source: Phys.org