vast chunks of Antarctica have latterly been slapped with ( potentially ) record - breaking strong temperature that have lingered for a worryingly long time .
young datum from the European Union’sCopernicus Climate Change Serviceshows that large parts of the ice - covered continent experience temperatures that were 10 to 12 ° coke ( 18 to 21.6 ° degree Fahrenheit ) above average for this metre of year in late July 2024 , compared to the 1991 - 2020 quotation menstruation .
Provisional data point from the Syowa place and Halley place also suggests they may have broken their late temperature records for July / August , while some days in East Antarctica showed temperatures that were 25 ° 100 ( 45 ° degree Fahrenheit ) above average .
High temperatures in Antarctica: Surface air temperature anomalies on 10 January 2025, relative to the average for the 1991–2020 reference period. Data source: ERA5, via Climate Pulse.Image Credit: C3S/ECMWF
These anomalies sound shocking , but it ’s the distance and scale of the heat that ’s concerning scientist .
“ In Antarctica , it ’s unsurprising to have a day at some point in the wintertime ( more or less June to August ) where the temperature strain ~25 ° C [ 45 ° F ] above normal for the time of twelvemonth somewhere on the continent . What is remarkable is prolonged mellow temperature happen over a magnanimous sector of east Antarctica from the second one-half of July and into early August , coalesce with warm open temperature offshore,“Thomas Caton Harrison , Polar Climate Scientist at British Antarctic Survey ( BAS ) , told IFLScience .
“ The principal feature of speech of interest is presently not so much the magnitude of the anomalies , though that may change . It ’s the fact we have see prolonged warmer than usual experimental condition over this large sphere , arrive at July 2024 a standout month in the prospicient - term average for this sphere of east Antarctica , ” he add together .
Heatwaves inAntarcticaare not unheard of , but evidence is get to emerge that shows they may be becoming increasingly common in the facial expression ofhuman - drive mood modification . In the past few age , there have been a fair few individual days with +25 ° C ( 45 ° fluorine ) anomalies in the Antarctic , most notably in 2022 .
In March 2022 , during the conclusion of summer , Antarctica find temperaturesrise by up to 40 ° C ( 72 ° F)above the seasonal norm , part of the highest jump in temperatures above the seasonal norm ever recorded .
A huge portion of the gargantuan continent was impacted by the heatwave too . Scientists estimated that an area of 3.3 million square klick ( 1.21 square miles ) in East Antarctica transcend previous March monthly temperature record in 2022 .
The hotness undulation of March 2022 stunned scientists , but it is improbable to be the last fourth dimension they are troubled by Antarctica ’s clime .
“ Across the globe , extreme temperature and conditions events are demote phonograph recording by wide margins – and this event show that Antarctica is not resistant from this emerging trend , " Dr Tom Bracegirdle , Deputy Science Leader for the Atmosphere , Ice , and mood team at the BAS , enunciate in astatementpublished in January .
“ utmost result are a key prospect of realize how Earth ’s organization and glacial spot will respond to global warming , and on what timeline . It is decisive that we improve our understanding of how climate change will influence the severity and oftenness of utmost outcome in Antarctica , " say Dr Bracegirdle .
