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According to measurements from an Argentinian research station thermometer, the always icy Antarctica just reached its hottest temperature ever at nearly 64.9 degrees Fahrenheit, around 18.3 degrees Celsius, as climate change continues to accelerate.
The reading was taken on Thursday at the Esperanza Base, which is a permanent, all-year Argentine research station positioned at Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica.
That time, the reading beats the continent’s prior record of 63.5 degrees that took place in March 2015, shortly after the Earth underwent its hottest January on list and hottest decade in the 2010s.
As per scientists, they see no end to the way climate change continues to shatter temperature records across the globe, including in one of the world’s fastest-warming regions, Antarctica.
The new record-breaking temperature in Antarctica has not yet been verified by the WMO (World Meteorological Organization), where a committee will confirm the new Esperanza record.
“Everything we’ve witnessed so far signals a likely legitimate record, but we will surely begin a formal evaluation of record once we have complete data from SMN and on the meteorological conditions surrounding the occurrence,” said Randall Cerveny, Weather and Climate Extremes rapporteur at the WMO.
Research reveals that glaciers in Antarctica are rapidly melting as the planet getting warmer, releasing enough quantity of water to raise global sea levels.
The amount of ice vanished each year from the Antarctic ice sheet elevated at least sixfold between 1979 and 2017, says the WMO.
Approximately 87% of glaciers along Antarctic Peninsula’s west coast have retreated over the last half-century, with most indicating an accelerated retreat in the previous 12 years.
