Antarctica, the coldest continent on the planet, is also experiencing an exceptionally long winter heatwave, according to a British institute specialising in the study of polar regions.
"The duration of this warm period is unusual," Thomas Catton Harrison, an expert at the British Antarctic Survey, told AFP.
In July, he said, average temperatures on the southern continent were 3.1 °C above seasonal norms. This makes it the second warmest July - after July 1981 - since records began in 1979.
Average daily temperatures ranged from -34.68°C on July 15 to -28.12°C on July 31, according to data published online by the University of Maine. The average temperature on the mainland was -26.6°C on August 7, the latest date available.
In July, the anomaly reached as high as +9 to +10°C in a limited region covering Queen Maud Land and part of the Weddell Sea.
Temperature anomalies are common during Antarctic winters, but scientists say this episode is unusual in terms of its duration. It is the prolonged warming that is "remarkable", insisted Thomas Caton Harrison.
"The very preliminary evidence suggests that we may be about to experience an exceptionally warm Antarctic winter," he explained.
The white continent, buffeted by winds and without a permanent population, is the coldest place on Earth. But it is also affected by global warming.
In a study published in June in the journal Nature Geoscience, researchers believe a new "tipping point" may have been reached, with Antarctica headed for an "uncontrolled melting" of its ice caps due to warmer ocean water.
This could lead to rising sea levels as accelerated melting outpaces the formation of new ice on the continent, which would threaten coastal populations around the world. | BGNES
