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In March 2022, parts of Antarctica have been 40 ºC
warmer than their March average
The Concordia research station is one of the most
inhospitable places on Earth. At 3,000m above sea level on
the Antarctic Plateau, the temperature rarely rises above
-25 ºC even in the summer. In midwinter it can fall to around
-80 ºC. The air is painfully dry, and fingers, toes and noses
can freeze in minutes. The dozen or so crew, mainly French
and Italian, who live and work in the station would normally
venture out only for essential work. But Concordia has recently
experienced a heatwave. On March 18th the temperature
reached a high of -11.8 ºC — more than 40 ºC warmer than
the average for this time of year.
Similarly freakish weather was recorded across eastern
Antarctica. Temperatures at the Russian-run Vostok
research station rose to -17.7 ºC, more than 15 ºC above the
previous record for March, set in 1967. Across the continent
temperatures were 4.5 ºC higher than usual (though in recent
days they have returned to a normal range).
Meteorologists have attributed the latest heatwave to
an atmospheric “river” of warm, damp air blowing towards
Antarctica from the Southern Ocean near Australia. It is
difficult to know whether climate change is to blame for
one-off weather events. But over the past 65 years or
so there has been an increase in the number of “high
temperature” days at Antarctic stations.
Most regions of Antarctica have been spared global
warming. In the late 20th century, a large hole opened
up in the ozone layer above the South Pole. This has a
regional cooling effect, which has offset much of the heating
caused by rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere. Temperatures on the continent rarely climb
above freezing, which preserves its vast ice sheets (although
rising sea temperatures do threaten some areas). Even in
the recent surge, temperatures stayed well below zero.
(www.economist.com, 24.03.2022. Adaptado.)
Based on your knowledge of geography, as well as on the
information provided by the text, map and graph, Antarctica
