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Extreme heat in both the Arctic and Antarctic “could have devastating impacts” on the regions and must serve as a wake-up call to the urgency of the climate crisis, scientists have said.
One leading researcher stated that the unprecedented combination of polar heatwaves and Growing interest in fossil fuel extraction amid Russia’s war in Ukraine must “wake people up” the rapidly closing window to tackle global warming.
Extreme heat events are occurring at both ends Earth’s poles at the same time, with parts of Antarctica more than 40C warmer than average and areas of the Arctic more than 30C hotter than usual.
“If these extreme temperatures don’t wake people up about this urgency, at the same time as War could encourage more fossil fuel extraction., I don’t know what will,” Dr Lisa Schipper, co-ordinating lead chapter author for the IPCC’s sixth assessment report and Oxford Environmental Research Fellow.
The IPCC’s latest report, released in February, Half of the world’s population warnedIt was extremely vulnerable to the effects of the Climate crisis and the opportunity to secure a “liveable” future for all was fast disappearing.
Prof Martin Siegert, co-director of Imperial College London’s Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, said repeats of the polar heatwaves first recorded last week could devastate both the Arctic and Antarctic.
He said: “The magnitude of the temperatures is also staggering in both poles. While the events are ‘weather’, if under Climate ChangeMore events like this could occur in the polar regions, particularly in the coastal regions of Antarctica where the warmest temperatures will be felt and on the ice shelves where melting would take place.
“In the Arctic, the impacts on sea ice and permafrost, and the climate feedbacks that result are also worth noting. These are unusual events, but if they become regular occurrences they would impact both regions considerably.”
Matthew Lazzara is a University of Wisconsin meteorologist who monitors the temperatures at East Antarctica’s Dome C-ii, logged -10C on Friday, when the normal temperature is -43C.
“That’s a temperature that you should see in January, not March. January is summer here. That’s dramatic,” he said.
Prof Siegert said: “Polar warmth like this will not be generated in the polar regions. It will come from low/mid latitudes and be transported north and south (Arctic).
“While this process is not unusual in the Arctic, it is very (unusual) in the Antarctic, where the continent is effectively isolated climatically by the southern ocean and the high elevation of the ice sheet that prevents warm weather systems from penetrating.”
