Extraordinary Heat Wave Bakes Antarctica 50 Degrees Above Its Norm!
Greetings to you! This summer of 2024 is turning out to unleash record-breaking heat in more ways than one. As I write this, an extraordinary heat wave is baking the Antarcticaregion some 50 degrees Fahrenheit above its normal temperatures! In July and August this region should “be the coldest time in Earth’s coldest place.” This climate anomaly could effect “the future health of the Antarctic continent, and the consequences it could inflict for millions of people across the globe.”
“The latest data shows high temperatures in portions of East Antarctica – where the most abnormal conditions are ongoing – that are typically between minus 58 and minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit are now closer to minus 13 to minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Well, those warmer temperatures in the Antarctica region sure sound cold however,“Bismarck, North Dakota, has reached minus 20 degrees at least once a year in almost every year since 1875.”
This is startling! “Summerlike heat in the dead of winter – even if much of the continent is still below freezing – is an alarming development for a place more capable than any other of generating catastrophic sea level rise as fossil fuel pollution continues to drive global temperatures upward.”
Scientists explain, “Most of the planet’s ice is stored here, and were it all to melt, would raise average global sea levels by well over 150 feet. Even smaller icy features, like the so-called Doomsday Glacier could raise sea levels by 10 feet if they were to melt – catastrophic amounts for the world’s coastal communities.”
David Mikolajczyk, a research meteorologist with the Antarctic Meteorological Research and Data Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said, “It’s possible more heat waves like this will happen in future winters, which could leave the icy continent less fortified for its hottest season – summer – and more vulnerable to melting during subsequent heat waves.”
Mikolajczyk continued and said, “Increased Antarctic melting could also potentially alter global oceanic circulations. These circulations play an outsized role in making the planet’s climate habitable.”
Thomas Bracegirdle, deputy science leader for the British Antarctic Survey’s Atmosphere, Ice and Climate team, said. “I’m sure more (impacts) will emerge with time as we understand (this heat wave) better, but at the moment, it’s just a case of astonishment really, what we’re seeing.”
Bracegirdle also said, “Temperatures in this event were record-breaking and were an important signal of what could be coming in the longer term. Heat waves of this magnitude should be quite rare in Antarctica and scientists aren’t yet certain that they are occurring more frequently, but that may be changing. All we can say at this stage is that more high temperature extremes are what we expect (in Antarctica) under a changing climate, but for this particular event we’ll have to study more.”
“The set of atmospheric conditions largely responsible for the ongoing heat wave – a breakdown of the southern polar vortex – is only expected to occur once every two decades on average. This is a very unusual event, from that perspective,” Bracegirdle explained.
According to a 2019 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “The recent warmth has posed a significant problem to the continent’s crucial ice sheet. Antarctica lost a staggering 280% more ice mass in the 2000s and 2010s than it lost in the 1980s and 1990s.”
Mikolajczyk said, “In recent years, I would say that the feeling was that the Arctic is the place where all the rapid change is happening and (change) was happening quite slowly in Antarctica. But this is just another event that’s showing (change) can also happen quickly in Antarctica.”
Introducing an Excellent Way to Talk to Kids with “Soft Facts” about Climate Change
One awesome tool for talking to kids about climate change is to read my fourth installment in the award-winningKobee Manatee® Children’s Educational Picture Book series. It’s titled, Kobee Manatee® Climate Change and The Great Blue Hole Hazard. It’s about climate change and plastic pollution in our oceans.
When you read this award-winning educational picture book to children, you’ll discover it’s a fun and fictional adventure loaded with weaved in facts on climate change and plastic pollution. This helps children learn about this serious subject in a fun and entertaining way. Here’s a brief synopsis …
Kobee Manatee®, the protagonist and his seafaring pals, Tess the seahorse and Pablo the hermit crab swim from the Cayman Islands to Belize. Kobee wants to help his cousin Quinn clean up plastic litter at her new, all-veggie underwater bistro called Quinn’s Seagrass Café.
On their Caribbean journey they encounter harmful effects of climate change and plastic pollution. As if that wasn’t enough, several other unforeseen problems occur with a distressed loggerhead turtle, a giant Portuguese man-of-war, and a venomous scorpionfish. They’re all amazed when they discover the extraordinary Great Blue Hole. Then their adventure takes another crazy turn when Pablo plunges into its huge abyss!
Each page includes in-depth, scientific details on climate change and plastic pollution in our oceans with Dr. Tracy Fanara, NOAA Scientist (aka Inspector Planet). Tracy can be seen on The Weather Channel as a visiting expert and she’s also seen on their “Weird Earth” segments.
We already have Fantastic Reviews on our Newest Release!
“A well-crafted, thoughtful, and well-illustrated addition to a noteworthy educational book series.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Robert Scott Thayer presents an important environmental message in an engaging story with wonderful characters. Anyone who loves the ocean and wants to help save it should read Kobee Manatee: Climate Change and The Great Blue Hole Hazard. I’m looking forward to the next Kobee Manatee adventure.” —Readers’ Favorite
For young readers who enjoy imaginative tales surrounding affable and heroic sea creatures, as well as parents and/or teachers looking for a way to introduce youngsters to the importance of marine conservation, Kobee Manatee® Climate Change and The Great Blue Hole Hazard offers a perfect blend. Highly recommended! – Chanticleer Book Reviews
If you see any sick or injured manatees, please call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at: 1-888-404-3922 (FWCC). They are the folks who are responsible for rescuing us in Florida.
Here’s the Save the Manatee Club link to learn more about manatees …
Here’s a cool link for you to learn more about how manatees are rescued and brought into rehabilitation …
~ Robert Scott Thayer
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