Abnormally high temperatures can hold out in Antarctica for several more days and repeat in the future, the head of the meteorological center of the Argentine base Marambio, captain Mauricio Nicholas Laurisi, told RIA Novosti.
On Thursday, the Esperanza research station, located in the far north of the Antarctic Peninsula, recorded a new historical record, since 1961, of 18.3 ° C above zero. This value beats the previous record of 17.5 ° C on March 24, 2015.
In addition, meteorologists reported that another Argentine station, Marambio, also broke a temperature record and recorded the highest temperature for February since 1971 - 14.1 ° C. The last record was set in 2013 and was 13.8 ° C.
"This temperature is higher than it should be, this is an anomaly. The average temperature in February is one degree above zero … Such temperatures tend to appear more and more often, accompanied by rain," Laurisi said.
"These temperatures above average can continue until Wednesday, inclusive, and not only here, but also at other bases in Antarctica. And, in my opinion, these (anomalous) periods may repeat, but perhaps not with such extremely high values," added he.
Antarctica extends over 14 million square kilometers and is almost entirely covered in snow and ice. The average annual temperature in Antarctica varies from 10 to 60 degrees below zero. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the climate of the Antarctic Peninsula - the largest on the continent - is one of the fastest changing on the planet. Over the past 50 years, the average surface temperature on the peninsula has increased by almost 3 ° C. The highest temperature for the "Antarctic Region" (as defined by WMO and UN, all land and ice south of 60 ° S) 19.8 ° C was observed on January 30, 1982 at Signy Research Station, Borge Bay on the island Signy.