Climate change in the coldest spot on the planet! In recent years, the Antarctica has faced a series of unprecedented heat waves. On February 6, 2020, temperatures of 18.3°C were recorded, the highest ever seen on the continent. So much so that it surpassed the previous record of 17.5°C set just a few years earlier.
Around February 2022, another strong heat wave in Antarctica led to record melting of the surface ice sheet. In March of the same year, East Antarctica faced its strongest heat wave. This is because it suffered from temperatures rising to 30°C or 40°C above average in some areas.
Last year also saw the lowest levels of sea ice cover in Antarctica since records began.
Recent events have bordered on the unbelievable, and it is difficult not to relate them to climate change. In fact, studies have already emerged that clearly attribute some of these heat waves to global warming. In fact, one of the investigations strongly suggests that, without the influence of climate change, the record temperatures of 2020 would not have occurred.
Climate change in Antarctica
In 2009, a study quantified the speed of ecosystem migration due to climate change on a global scale and essentially documented the speed at which certain species need to move to ensure their survival. It was concluded that the biomes were moving at a speed of between 0.8 and 12.6 km per decade, with an average speed of 4.2 km per decade.
In a more recent study, published in February 2024, this speed measurement was applied with adaptation to the edges of Antarctica. To do this, the southward migration of the zero-degree isotherm was tracked.
The zero degree isotherm is an imaginary line that delimits areas that are at zero degrees or less. Its southward movement means that the area with temperatures below zero Celsius in Antarctica is getting smaller and smaller. Given that water freezes at zero degrees, this movement will have serious consequences for ecosystems and the cryosphere (areas of the Earth where water is frozen).
Calculations show that the zero-degree isotherm has moved at a speed of 15.8 km per decade since 1957 in the area surrounding Antarctica, while on the Antarctic peninsula itself it has moved at 23.9 km per decade. As a result, it is now more than 100 km south of where it was in the mid-20th century.
These measurements show that the speed of climate change at the edge of Antarctica is four times faster than the average for other ecosystems.
The effects of emissions
To predict the consequences of the southward migration of the zero-degree isotherm, we feed the data into twenty different climate models. Although there is some variation in the isotherm’s shift between models, they all agree that it will move significantly further south over the next few decades.
The models also predict that, over the next few decades, the movement of the isotherm will accelerate regardless of emissions. However, the extent of its southward movement in the second half of the 21st century will depend on how much carbon we emit.
If the current rate of emissions continues, the zero-degree isotherm will continue to advance at a similar rate before slowing during the second half of the 21st century. However, if emissions are higher, the migration of the isotherm will accelerate, continuing its southward movement until the end of the century.
Impacts on the cryosphere and ecosystems
The southward movement of the zero-degree isotherm will not just stay in the atmosphere, it will also affect the cryosphere (all frozen areas of Antarctica) and the biosphere (the species that live there).
Changes in the position of the isotherm will mean more liquid rain rather than snow in the outer regions of the continent, although it may actually cause increased snowfall in other areas.
Reduced snowfall on sea ice – which acts as insulation – could lead to accelerated loss of sea ice during summer melt periods.
Although the effects on permafrost, ice shelves and continental ice are still uncertain, it will undoubtedly affect the peripheral glaciers of the Antarctic Peninsula. These constitute one of the largest potential sources of sea level rise in the coming decades.
Source: Atrevida
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
