Antarctica recorded its hottest temperature, 18.3°C, on February 6. The temperature was recorded by the Argentinian research station thermometer, beating the previous record by 0.8°C in March 2015, reported The Guardian.
A tweet from Argentina’s meteorological agency on Friday revealed the record. The station’s data goes back to 1961.
#Antártida | Nuevo récord de temperaturas ð¡ï¸Este mediodÃa la Base #Esperanza registró un nuevo récord histórico (desde 1961) de temperatura, con 18,3°C. Con este valor se supera el récord anterior de 17,5°C del 24 en marzo de 2015. Y no fue el único récord… pic.twitter.com/rhKsPFytCb
â SMN Argentina (@SMN_Argentina) February 6, 2020
The temperature was recorded in the Antarctica Peninsula, on the continent’s north-west tip, which is also attributed to be one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth.
According to the World Meteorological Organisation, the Antarctica Peninsula has witnessed heating by almost 3°C over the past 50 years.
The World Meteorological Organisation will now verify the reports. ‘Everything we have seen thus far indicates a likely legitimate record but we will, of course, begin a formal evaluation of the record once we have full data from SMN and on the meteorological conditions surrounding the event. The record appears to be likely associated (in the short term) with what we call a regional ‘foehn’ event over the area: a rapid warming of air coming down a slope/mountain,’ said WMO’s Weather and Climate Extremes rapporteur, Randall Cerveny, in a statement.
According to WMO, the southernmost continent has seen a significant rise in global warming, leading to the meltdown of age-old glaciers. The body has said that about 87 per cent of the glaciers along the west coast of the continent have ‘retreated’ in the last 50 years.
Scientists and environmentalists have time and again mentioned that global warming at the South Pole will lead to a rise in sea level by at least three metres (10ft) over centuries.
The WMO spokeswoman, Clare Nullis, warning the world, said that melting from these glaciers will increase the sea level.
Last July, the Arctic region hit its own record temperature of 21°C, logged by a base at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic.
Also Read: ‘We Are Facing Climate Emergency’: First Man To Swim Under Antarctic Ice Sheet
