In my opinion, there are few things scarier in our world right now than the drastic climate change we’re seeing and how it affects places as far flung as Antarctica. So the news that the continent recently experienced its hottest day EVER is causing me even more anxiety.
Yes, Argentina’s Esperanza Base, at the very northern tip of Antarctica, recorded a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
The previous high temperature for Antarctica was 63.5 degrees in March 2015.
Alexandra Isern, head of Antarctic sciences at the National Science Foundation, said that the Antarctic Peninsula is “one of the fastest warming areas on the planet.”
Even more distressing, the recording in Antarctica came after the hottest January on record.
The text of that tweet translates to…
#Antarctica | New temperature record 🌡️
This noon the Base #Esperanza recorded a new historical record (since 1961) of temperature, with 18.3 ° C. This value exceeds the previous record of 17.5 ° C on March 24, 2015. And it was not the only record …
This is all part of a cycle that could have major repercussions for the planet. The warmer temperatures mean warmer seawater, which means more melting glaciers and rising sea levels all over the world: and that leads to even further warming.
Randall Cerveny of the World Meteorological Organization says,
“When I started this project all the way back in 2007, I thought we would have maybe an evaluation once every few years.
Now we’re having MULTIPLE observations of extreme climate every year.”
A scary sign, to be sure.
What do you think about this? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, please!
