Tuesday, March 24, the temperature recorded on the Argentine base Esperanza, an Antarctic research station, reached 63.5 °F. The day before, the temperature had reached 63.32°F on the base of Marambio, an island located a hundred kilometers further south. Unheard of. Especially as the average temperature in March in the region is -0.4 ° C.
It was April of 1961 when the highest such temperature was recorded, i. e. 62.7 degrees Fahrenheit at Base Marambio, another Argentinean base in the region.
Another surprising point, the temperatures recorded were measured in the fall (due to Antarctica’s location in the southern hemisphere), nearly three months after the period that is usually the hottest of the year in the Antarctic Peninsula.
The record-breaking high temperature left scientists baffled as it took place directly in the center of the autumn season for Antarctica. Hottest days are usually recorded at Base Esperanza in December with averages of around 37.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Average temperature in March is closer to 31.1 degrees Fahrenheit.
The data has been sent for verification to the World Meteorological Organization and results are awaited. If the data turns out accurate then the 1961 measurement as the highest temperature ever experienced on the continent will be replaced by the temperature recorded by Base Esperanza.
Scientists have once again blamed climate change for the rise in temperature in one of the most cold and inhospitable places on the planet. The data has supported the findings of a previous study that melting of Antarctica’s ice shelf is happening this decade at a rate three times faster than the previous one.
The most visible impacts of climate change are now being experienced by both Antarctica and the Arctic Circle, said scientists. “If officials confirm that a new record was set, the information could serve as an ominous milestone for the Earth’s most desolate continent”, The Weather Network reported.
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