Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Chart of the Day
28 March 2022

Record-high temperatures in Antarctica leave scientists worried

Temperatures peaked at 40°C above their normal level for this time of year.

By Nicu Calcea

An ice shelf in east Antarctica collapsed this month as temperatures reached the highest point in recorded history. The largest fragment of the Conger Ice Shelf, which is about the size of New York City, is now an iceberg, according to satellite imagery.

The event coincides with unprecedented heatwaves in the Arctic and Antarctica, although it is unclear whether the two are linked. Temperatures in the Dome C area of Antarctica reached -12°C this month (March), 40°C above the average for this time of year. 

 

“The Antarctic climatology has been rewritten,” tweeted Stefano Di Battista, a researcher specialising in weather patterns in Antarctica. 

Early evidence shows that the high temperatures were caused by a mass of warm air that travelled from southern Australia and reached deep into the centre of Antarctica. The warm air also caused rainfall far beyond the usual level expected in the continent's arid climate.

“It could have just been a freak weather event,” Will Hobbs of the Australian Antarctic Programme Partnership at the University of Tasmania told the Sydney Morning Herald. “But if this starts happening regularly, it would be seriously terrifying.” 

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
How to navigate the modern cyber-threat landscape
Supporting customers through the cost of living crisis
Data on cloud will change the way you interact with the government