A recent study has identified the cause of the heatwave in a region of eastern Antarctica called “Dome C,” where temperatures rose to 39 degrees Celsius above the usual
Researchers have established a connection between a record-breaking heatwave in Antarctica and the influence of climate change.
Antarctica’s extreme heatwave: Unprecedented
In an eastern Antarctic region known as “Dome C,” temperatures surged to 39 degrees Celsius above the usual, reaching -10 degrees Celsius on March 18th of the previous year.
Remarkably, this heatwave stands as the most extreme ever documented on Earth.
Previously, only a few instances of heatwaves exceeding 35 degrees Celsius above normal occurred in Siberia, North America, and Antarctica.
Due to Antarctica’s challenging conditions and isolated location, gathering sufficient data to ascertain the potential impact of climate change on such an extraordinary weather event proves challenging.
Understanding the heatwave causes
A recent investigation has identified the root cause behind the heatwave. According to the study’s authors, an exceptionally rare weather pattern induced powerful northward winds, transporting warm and moisture-laden air from Australia.
Additionally, climate change made the situation worse by intensifying Antarctica’s extreme heatwave by 2 degrees Celsius. These findings raise further alarms regarding the impact of climate change on Antarctica, a region that had previously appeared somewhat protected.
Experts cautioned that while these heatwaves have some natural origins, they will become even more extreme due to climate change.
The study was published in the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters.This is just one of several records broken in Antarctica in recent times.
In August, a team of scientists, commissioned by the UK Foreign Office to study these “unprecedented” transformations sounded an alarm about potential global repercussions, especially the escalation of sea levels.
They expressed genuine concern that the icy continent might cease cooling for the Earth and instead begin functioning as a heat source, like a radiator.
Human influence on global heatwaves
According to climate experts from the United Nations, typical and exceptionally high temperatures are rising across all continents, primarily due to human-induced climate change.
The World Weather Attribution consortium of researchers responsible for evaluating the role of climate change in extreme weather occurrences asserts that every heatwave globally is amplified and made more probable as a direct result of human-induced climate change.
