An Argentine research base has measured the highest temperature on Antarctica on record. Rising temperatures are accelerating melt-off from glaciers and ice sheets, threatening island nations and coastal towns.
Image: Reuters/A. Meneghini
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Antarctica recorded its hottest day on Thursday since readings began, Argentina's National Meteorological Service announced.
Thursday saw temperatures peak at 18.3 degrees Celsius (64.9 degrees Fahrenheit) at the Esperanza research station. According to the meteorological service, it was the highest temperature on record since 1961.
The previous record was 17.5 degrees on March 24, 2015.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Friday it would verify whether the readings would amount to a new record.
Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the UN weather agency, said that if the figures from the research base are confirmed, they could be a record high for Antarctica.
"Everything we have seen thus far indicates a likely legitimate record but we will, of course, begin a formal evaluation of the record once we have full data from SMN [Argentina’s weather service] and on the meteorological conditions surrounding the event," said Randal Cerveny from WMO's Weather and Climate Extremes.
"The record appears to be likely associated (in the short term) with what we call a regional `foehn' event over the area," Cerveny added, referring to the quick warm air that comes down a mountain or slope.
Argentina, a signatory of the 1961 Antarctic Treaty, has several scientific research bases in Antarctica. The country has had a presence on the continent for the past 114 years.
Fascinating Antarctica: Icy facts about the most southern region in the world
Antarctica is more than just snow and ice. The most southern point of our earth breaks a lot of records. Cosy up for an expedition to the South Pole.
Image: Tim Heitland
99 percent ice
Antarctica is the largest desert in the world, covering an area of 13,829,430 square kilometres (533, 957 square miles) — about 1.3 times the size of Europe. Even in the Antarctic summer, from December to February, 99 percent of Antarctica is covered with ice, some of it up to 5000 meters thick.
Image: NASA/Dave Pape
Continent of extremes
Antarctica is the coldest continent on Earth, with the lowest temperature measured reading -98.6 degrees Celsius (-145,48 degrees Fahrenheit). But that's not all: as it never rains or snows, the continent is also the driest and windiest in the world, with wind speeds reaching in excess of 250 kmph (155 mph).
No sense of time
Antarctica comprises the continent and the southern polar sea. The Antarctic Polar Front forms the boundary, where the northern extension of the Southern Ocean separates the cold surface water in the south from the warmer water in the north. Antarctica is located on all longitudes and extends over all time zones. Most research stations operate on the time in their home country.
Image: Tim Heitland
Temporary residents
The Antarctic population is made up of the international research teams. In summer about 4000 scientists live on the continent, and during the harsh Antarctic winter only about 1000. There are 80 research stations that they can stay in, which are currently operated by almost 30 countries. Pictured is the German Neumayer Station III of the Alfred Wegener Institute.
Image: Tim Heitland
Real locals
With a length of just seven millimetres, these little guys are considered to be the largest land animals permanently living in Antarctica: the Antartic midge (Belgica antarctica). The development of the larva into an adult takes about two years. Most of the time, the larvae are frozen in the ice – real survivors!
Image: Reuters
Oh, hi!
Finally: no, contrary to some fictional depictions, there are no polar bears in the Antarctic – they live in the Arctic Circle at the other end of the Earth. But there are penguins in Antarctica. However, only four of the 17 known penguin species are native to Antarctica. This small emperor penguin is just one of them.
Image: Tim Heitland
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Rapidly melting glaciers
Rising temperatures are causing glaciers and ice sheets in Antarctica to melt at an accelerated speed. Sea-levels are on the rise, threatening small island nations and cities along coastlines.
According to the WMO, the Antarctic Peninsula, located on the icy continent’s northwest tip close to South America, is among the most rapidly warming regions on the planet, at nearly 3 degrees Celsius over the last half-century.
Approximately 87% of glaciers along the peninsula’s west coast have shown "an accelerated retreat" over the last 12 years, WMO reported.
