In March 2022 , Antarctica was strike by an sinful heatwave that get word temperatures rise by up to 40 ° 100 ( 72 ° F ) above the seasonal norm . This consequence – the highest jump above average seasonal temperature ever tape – may seem like a junkie anomaly , but it ’s likely to be a signal of what ’s ahead for planet Earth .
The upsurge of heat energy was show at the Concordia - Dome C inquiry station deep within East Antarctica on March 18 , 2022 , but the figures were uncover in a study to begin with this yr .
The median annualtemperature in Concordiais around -55 ° C ( -67 ° F ) , although it variegate with the season between -30 ° C ( -22 ° F ) in summertime and as low as -80 ° C ( 112 ° F ) in wintertime . March is a transition month into south-polar winter , with day-by-day mediocre temperatures by and large hovering around – 50 ° C ( -58 ° F ) .
On that previous - summer daytime in March 2022 , the remote station saw an all - time temperature record of -9.4 ° C ( -15.08 ° F ) , around 40 ° C ( 72 ° fluorine ) higher than the seasonal average .
The extent of the heatwave was Brobdingnagian too . The researchers reckon that an area of 3.3 million square kilometers ( 1.21 straight miles ) in East Antarctica exceeded old March monthly temperature record in 2022 .
The relatively balmy passion drive a significant amount of ice melting around Antarctica . Coastal areas find widespread Earth’s surface thaw , contributing to a phonograph record low sea - ice extent . It may have even been the last chaff that led to thefinal collapse of the Conger Ice Shelfon March 15 , 2022 .
The heat was brought to Antarctica due to some bowelless tropic cyclone body process in the Indian Ocean , which dumped a burden of relatively warm and damp air into the interior of Antarctica . An atmospherical river invasion also blanketed the East Antarctic Plateau with a thick layer of cloud , trapping hotness in the lower atmosphere .
This shockingly high - temperature anomaly is inseparable from the wider change face our planet ’s climate , the research worker say . The March 2022 Antarctica heatwave would typically be considered a “ one in 100 - year event , ” but the scientists warn that climate change is coiffe to see to it this was n’t just a freak one - off .
The Arctic on the other side of the planet currently take the brunt of mood change , with middling temperaturesrising four times fasterthan the global average . It was previously believe that Antarctica wasless vulnerable to mood changethan most region of the world , especially the Arctic , but these latest finding clearly show the “ kip titan " continent of the Southern Hemisphere is start tofeel the sting .
“ Across the ball , extreme temperature and weather events are break away records by wide-eyed allowance – and this event shows that Antarctica is not immune from this egress trend , " Dr Tom Bracegirdle , co - author of the subject field and Deputy Science Leader for the Atmosphere , Ice , and clime team at British Antarctic Survey , sound out in astatement .
“ uttermost event are a key aspect of understanding how Earth ’s systems and frozen places will react to global thaw , and on what timeline . It is critical that we amend our understanding of how climate variety will work the severity and relative frequency of extreme events in Antarctica . "
The study is published in the American Meteorological Society’sJournal of Climate .
