The South Pole – one of the coldest, most remote locations on the planet – has warmed three times faster than the rest of the world over the last 30 years, according to research that suggests it is falling victim to the forces of climate change.
A global team of scientists have assessed weather station data from the South Pole since 1989, and have concluded that the Pole is warming at a record pace.
Temperatures at the South Pole have risen by an average of 0.6C, the team said, much faster than the global warming rate of 0.2C over the same period.
The rapid increases in temperature were largely driven by natural shifts in weather over the tropics, the scientists said, but have likely been intensified by the impact of man-made emissions entering the atmosphere.
Warming trends
Antarctica is known for its volatile weather. Temperatures vary dramatically between winter and summer, while variations in tropical air currents mean parts of the region can spend years warming before flipping back to a cooler cycle.
But while the warming observed over the last 30 years at the South Pole could be down to natural climactic variations, the scientists warn the pace of change is nearing the “upper bounds” for natural variability. They suspect the warming was, in part at least, driven by increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.
Worrying news
The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, are a sign that climate change could be penetrating right to the very heart of the most remote continent on Earth.
But although it’s too early to say what the long-term outlook is for the South Pole, the rest of the Antarctic is already suffering. In West Antarctica, the ice sheet is melting at an alarming rate, destroying valuable habitat for the region’s wildlife.
It’s a similar story in the North Pole, where scientists say warming is taking place at around two to three times the global average. It’s a worrying trend, given that the sea ice coating both poles plays a vital role in cooling the Earth’s atmosphere. Without it, the Earth would absorb more solar radiation and climate change would accelerate even further.
