It is Wednesday March 23, the very beginning of spring and extreme heat waves have been recorded at the South Pole and the North Pole. In Antarctica, at the South Pole, temperatures more than 40°C above normal have been recorded. This is unheard of in March. The thermometer showed only -11°C a few days ago near the Concordia research station. -11°C instead of the usual -50°C, and yet the region is entering the southern winter so temperatures should drop normally.
It’s the same thing in the Arctic. At the North Pole, particularly mild air, caused by a cyclone developing along the American coast, pushed temperatures to almost 30°C above normal. And again, a rising thermometer. This is very unusual in this season, as the North Pole is currently at the end of its polar night. For almost six months, the sun has not risen completely above the horizon, which favors the cold normally.
Recently, there has been a particular context, with this mild air at the North Pole. At the South Pole, it is a mass of hot air coming from Australia, which caused an atmospheric river: that is to say that a large quantity of water vapor was found above the Antarctica causing this rise in temperatures.
However, the recent multiplication of intense events (heat waves, mega-fires, floods) are, for the experts, the sign of more global climatic disturbances which are linked to global warming.
In addition, another cause for concern: ten days ago, British researchers published a study on the accelerated thawing of permafrost.
Permafrost is permanently frozen ground. It is also called permafrost. These frozen wetlands throughout the year are located in northern Sweden, Finland, Norway and Siberia. This melting of the permafrost could reach a tipping point earlier than expected, around 2040, warn the researchers.
In addition, these frozen peat bogs, which contain decomposing plants, alone store nearly 40 billion tonnes of carbon. This is double what is stored in European forests. So if all that carbon stored in the ice escapes into the atmosphere, it will further accentuate global warming. The current temperature records are therefore really to be taken as warning signals.