The climate crisis remains very serious, even if Antarctica recorded its coldest 6 months ever

    In this intensely hot year for the whole world, the Antarctic region has experienced a record cold in the past six months

    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

    In this intensely hot year for the rest of the world, the continent of Antarctica has experienced a record cold in the past six months, but experts warn: this does not change the forecast for global warming.





    The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) shared data relating to temperatures and the amount of snow and ice in Antarctica: during the last period of polar night (a long "night" lasting six months, from April to September, where the sun never rises until the autumn equinox), the average temperature recorded on the continent was -60.9 ° C - a true record for the period. But not only that: for the entire Antarctic continent, the winter of 2021 was the second coldest winter ever (after that of 2004) and in the months of June, July and August it saw temperatures around 3.4 ° C lower than those recorded between 1981 and 2010.

    The anomalous cold was linked by NSIDC experts to two long periods of stronger than average winds that blew around the continent and that isolated the frozen surface, avoiding contact with warmer climatic conditions. In addition, a strong vortex was observed in the upper layers of the polar atmosphere, which led to a significant hole in the ozone layer: the ozone hole seems to have reached its peak here.

    It is important to understand that weather is different from climate: While the weather gives us an overview over limited periods of time (days or weeks), the climate shows us changes over long periods of time - such as years or even entire generations. An example of this difference can be just cold waves like this, which can occur as a result of sudden changes in atmospheric circulation and not necessarily be related to climate change.

    Texas, for example, experienced intense cold spells earlier this year as freezing Arctic air was pushed south, but a broader view of the region's temperatures shows us that it has higher average temperatures. 1.5 ° C compared to 100 years ago. In other words, while the world experiences a general increase in average temperatures, some areas of the planet still experience intense cold peaks and severe temperatures.



    Thus, the particularly harsh winter that has occurred in Antarctica over the past six months may not reflect what will happen on the continent in the long run, but be a one-off. Furthermore, what happens at one pole does not necessarily happen the same at the other: due to the extreme cold at the South Pole, the extent of the frozen sea of ​​Antarctica has increased, remaining above average for the last few months. (last August, satellite images attested to the fifth largest extension of all time). By contrast, the ice around the North Pole has been at its lowest by extension for fifteen years (2007-2021): last September its surface was 4.92 million square kilometers - in 12th place by extension in the last 43 years of remarks.

    The climate crisis remains very serious, even if Antarctica recorded its coldest 6 months ever

    @NSIDC

    In short, a cold winter is interesting, but it does not change the long-term warming trend ”. Unfortunately.

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    Source: NSIDC / CNN

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