Antarctica is warming up

Many scientists argue that Antarctica is not affected by the greenhouse effect, but one study shows that the average temperature across the planet's coldest continent is increasing like other regions on the planet.

An angle of Antarctica.Photo: Photomas.

When announcing a report on global warming in 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change declared: 'Most continents on Earth experience warming in the last 50 years, except Antarctica ' . Gareth Williams, an Antarctic expert of the British Royal Natural Environment Research Council, asserts that Antarctica is an exception because there is not enough evidence to show that the planet's southernmost ice is warm. up.

But Eric Steig, an expert at Washington University (USA) and colleagues used satellite data to prove that the average temperature in Antarctica increased to 0.5 degrees Celsius between 1957 and 2006. Besides, the average temperature of the Earth increased by 0.6 degrees Celsius in the past 50.

Map of the warming situation of Antarctica.The red area has the largest temperature increase.Photo: Newscientist.

Much of the weather forecast station in Antarctica is built near the coast and only two of them provide information about the climate of the interior of Antarctica. Therefore they cannot provide comprehensive data on this continent. The use of satellite data and statistical methods helps Eric and his colleagues get an overview of the Antarctic climate.

The analytical results show that the warming situation is heterogeneous on Antarctica. The temperature in the western region increases faster than the eastern region. 'Simulated models show greenhouse gases that increase the average temperature of Antarctica , ' Eric said.

According to Eric, the giant ice block in the west of Antarctica has a higher risk of melting than the eastern ice block. If that happens, global sea levels will rise. However, David Vaughan, an expert working at the British Royal Society for Natural Environmental Research, said that Antarctic ice melted because of an increase in sea temperature, not a rise in temperature. gas.