Temperatures in East Antarctica are currently 28 degrees above normal winter averages, indicating an unusual heat wave in the coldest place on Earth. As of mid-July 2024, instead of the typical minus 50 to minus 60 degrees, many areas are only experiencing a relatively mild minus 15 to 20 degrees. Worryingly, this is the second heat wave in this region in the last two years.
Antarctica is generally known as the coldest part of our planet, where temperatures on the Antarctic Plateau can drop to minus 92 degrees Celsius during winter nights, a record on Earth. Dry cold, often accompanied by strong winds, causes snowflakes to sublimate in the air. However, since July 2024, temperatures in East Antarctica have been rising unusually; on average, they are 10 degrees above normal, with some locations recording up to 28 degrees warmer than normal values from 1991 to 2020.
This phenomenon causes the sea ice around Antarctica to return to near winter lows. According to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, sea ice areas are approaching record lows, reaching just 17.16 million square kilometers in September 2023 – the lowest since satellite records began.
According to climate scientists, an abnormal weakening of the polar vortex, an annular current of air that protects the cold air over Antarctica from warmer masses from the surrounding seas, is likely responsible for this Antarctic heat wave. This polar vortex not only affects the climate of Antarctica, but also has an impact on the expansion of the ozone hole over the South Pole. However, from July 2024, this current weakens, allowing warm air from the southern Indian Ocean to penetrate the Antarctic Plateau. Currently, at the beginning of August, this disruption of the polar vortex continues, and therefore the end of the heat wave is not yet in sight.
This phenomenon is repeated in Antarctica for the second time in two years. In March 2022, temperatures in some areas reached records, climbing up to 39 degrees above normal average values. Although the 2023 Antarctic winter was colder in places, it could not compensate for the deficit, especially in terms of sea ice. (Co2AI)