Antarctica’s last 6 months were the coldest on record

“The unusual cold has been attributed to two extended periods of stronger than average circling winds around the continent, which tend to isolate the ice sheet from warmer conditions,” the NSIDC explained. “A powerful polar vortex in the upper atmosphere has also been observed, leading to a large ozone hole. reduction events since 1979.

The National Science Foundation, which manages the US Antarctic program, points out that winter temperatures have had minimal impact on scientific support for the South Pole, as most of the in-depth fieldwork takes place during the austral summer. However, polar environments are still difficult.

“Everyone adapts to the cold differently, and the equipment today makes it much safer than when Shackleton and the other explorers had little specialized equipment; they only had woolen socks and leather shoes to protect their feet! an NSF spokesperson said. “All participants in the NSF’s United States Antarctic Program (USAP) are provided with extremely cold weather gear and trained in how to recognize the dangers of extreme cold.”

An extremely cold winter is intriguing from a record-keeping standpoint, but one season alone doesn’t change the long-term progression, which is rapid warming.

Weather vs climate

It is important to understand that the weather is different from the climate. Weather is what happens over shorter periods of time (days to months), such as a seven-day forecast. Climate is what happens over much longer periods of time, like several years, or even entire generations.

“One such example is a cold snap, which can occur due to sudden changes in atmospheric circulation and may not be related to climate change,” says Tom Slater, a researcher at the University’s Center for Polar Observation and Modeling. from Leeds. “Texas is a good example; Even though parts of it experienced extremely cold weather earlier this year when arctic air was pushed south, looking at long-term temperature changes tells us that Texas is in average 1.5 degrees warmer on average now. than it was 100 years ago. It’s the climate.

Scientists also agree that since the 1950s, extreme cold spells have occurred, but climate change brings many more record heat than record cold.

“In other words, while the globe may be warmer than average as a whole, some regions will still see colder temperatures and even severe cold outbreaks,” says Zack Labe, climate scientist at Colorado State. University. “This regional variation is due to influences from oceans, mountains, deserts, ice caps and other geographic features that all affect our weather and climate. storm), which can vary from day to day or even month to month.

So this recent winter period from June to August is certainly interesting from a research perspective, but it doesn’t necessarily reflect what Antarctica does in the long run.

Polar opposites

What happens at one pole does not mean that it happens at the other.

Thanks to the extreme cold near the South Pole, the extent of the Antarctic sea ice has been above average in recent months, peaking at the end of August when it reached 5th in satellite records.

However, the ice near the North Pole did just the opposite.

However, while this may sound good, keep in mind that the past 15 years (2007 to 2021) had the 15 lowest September ice areas on record.

The extent of the Arctic sea ice in September averaged 1.90 million square miles (4.92 million square kilometers), making it the 12th lowest in 43 years of record keeping.

Literally everywhere else is heating up

What is happening at the poles of the Earth does not mean that it is happening all over the world as well.

“Although global temperatures have risen by about 1.1 degrees over the past 150 years on average, different parts of the globe have warmed at different rates due to natural variations in the climate system such as cloud cover, land cover and atmospheric circulation patterns, ”Slater said. noted.

“The Earth’s poles have warmed faster than anywhere else, mainly due to melting ice and snow. Although Antarctica has experienced a cold winter this year, in recent decades the northernmost parts of Antarctica have warmed five times faster than the global average. it’s faster than anywhere else in the southern hemisphere. “

As scientists take note of the changes taking place at the Earth’s poles, the greatest danger lies in the most populous continents where people live and work.

“As a climatologist, I am particularly alarmed at how extreme heat waves, such as the one that hit the Pacific Northwest this summer, are expected to become more frequent in the future,” Labe said. “But right now, we have a great opportunity. We can help reduce the severity and frequency of future extreme heat waves (and global climate change) by systematically reducing our consumption of fossil fuels.”

The impact on humans and animals is central to the climate crisis.

“Extreme heat and humidity can present serious health risks to those who have to endure them – on average, the world now experiences 14 more days per year with temperatures of 45 ° C compared to 40 years ago. years, ”Slater said. “This is why I hope that we will see nations step up their commitments in the fight against climate change at COP26 in just a few weeks.”