“Heat wave” reaches central Antarctica for the first time

A “heat wave” from Australia has caused sharp warming in the central part of Antarctica. This disaster was recorded on March 18. About DEA News” said Alexander Makarov, director of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.

According to the scientist, for the first time such a “wave” reached the central part of Antarctica – a thousand kilometers from the coast. Makarov called it an indicator of climate change.

“Scientists won’t let him loose,” said the director of the science institute.

According to him, such phenomena are not unique. About two years ago, the Australian heat shift was also recorded at the station. But previously, “heat waves” were only recorded at coastal stations.

The Russian scientist said that the sharp warming observed on the continent this year has been observed for the first time. He noted that this does not always affect the entire climate of the Earth. Therefore, in mid-Russian latitudes, late March – early April is noticeably colder than it should be.

At the Russian Antarctic station “Vostok”, considered the coldest place on the planet on March 18, thermometers showed minus 17.7 degrees Celsius instead of the usual minus 55-60 for this time of year.

Previously, scientists had figured out how climate change happens. affect about the speed of currents in the depths of the ocean. The researchers found that over the past 13 million years, as the Earth has slowly cooled, the speed of currents in the deepest parts of the ocean has generally slowed. At the same time, during the warming period that preceded the 13-million-year cooling period, the deep circulation of the ocean became much more intense. At that time, global temperatures were 3-4°C warmer than they are now.