At present, the summer season is going on in Antarctica and summer is coming in the Arctic. On March 21, the day and night were equal in both the places, but this week the weather has become such that there has been a record breaking heat wave at both the places. The maximum temperature has been found to be 30 degrees above the average. Although scientists have been saying that the effect of climate change can be seen in the form of such a sudden jump, but what happened suddenly that the temperature jumped simultaneously at two ends of the earth? Scientists are trying to understand this.
The heat wave in Antarctica is caused by a slow process of intense high pressure in the Australia Southeast, in which large amounts of warm air and moisture reach the interior of Antarctica. Simultaneously, an intense low pressure system was also operating in East Interior Antarctica, then clouds over the icy plateau of Antarctica trapped the heat from the surface, adding to the fire.
Since autumn, the temperature inside Antarctica had not been so high that glaciers and ice sheets would melt. Yet there were also large fluctuations in temperature. The temperature in the middle plateau was around -17 degrees, which was 15 degrees above the average. Konkarda, located on the high plateau itself, recorded an average temperature of 40 degrees Celsius in March. In Antarctica, there is less rainfall in the coastal areas. This happens only when the temperature rises above the freezing point, then there is rain instead of falling snow.
Temperatures reached 5.6 °C at the Australian Howes station last week, marking the second heat wave in two years. Penguins living in the coastal areas of Antarctica recently dealt with summer breeding. It is a matter of relief that even before the heat wave, their children had gone to the sea for hunting themselves. Kai was affected because of the rain. Its effect will be known only next time.
Similar weather was seen in the Arctic last week. An intense low pressure system started forming from the northeast coast of America and a high pressure system also formed here. This created a flow of warm air in the Arctic Circle. Norway recorded a maximum temperature of 3.9 degrees Celsius. American researchers have named this low pressure system ‘Bomb Cyclone’ because it forms very rapidly.
This year’s Arctic winter sea ice levels were at lower levels and Greenland recorded record rainfall. If warm conditions break the sea ice earlier than normal, it affects many organisms. Polar bears have to travel long distances to hunt seals. Hunting culture is affected. On the other hand, the flowering season is beginning to arrive early in Norway, as summer is unusually early. Modeled studies suggest that there will be more and more diverse changes in the nature of climate.
In an era of climate change, one heat wave can become the basis of another. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the world, because more sunlight is being absorbed into the ocean by melting ice. The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the Arctic will see an ice-free summer by 2050. Something similar will be seen in Antarctica as well.
This change in the weather in Antarctica is also shocking because at this time the days are getting shorter and winter should be much longer. At the same time, the Arctic is getting out of winter. That’s why some scientists have said that it is not even conceivable to have the same event in both places simultaneously. According to scientists, these are completely opposite seasons. You don’t see the North and South poles melting together, at the same time. To know the effect of La Nilo and other weather events on these events, a deeper study will be needed.