Rapid warming of Antarctic pauses

THE rapid warming of the Antarctic Peninsula during the second half of the 20th century has paused, according to a new study.

Researchers say stabilisation of the ozone hole along with natural climate variability were “significant” in bringing about the change.

They said that, together, these influences have now caused the peninsula to enter a temporary cooling phase.

But temperatures remain higher than measured during the middle of the 20th century and glacial retreat is still taking place, reveal the findings by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) published in the journal Nature.

Study lead author Professor John Turner said: “The Antarctic Peninsula climate system shows large natural variations, which can overwhelm the signals of human-induced global warming.

“In recent years, there has been an international research effort to explain what’s happening in the region and to understand the implications for the Antarctic environment and future sea-level rise.

“Our study highlights the complexity and difficulty of attributing effect to cause. The ozone hole, sea-ice and westerly winds have been significant in influencing regional climate change in recent years.

“Even in a generally warming world, over the next couple of decades temperatures in this region may go up or down, but our models predict in the longer term, greenhouse gases will lead to an increase in temperatures by the end of the century.”

The Antarctic Peninsula is the long mountainous strip of land that protrudes and extends towards South America. Its size is around three per cent of the continent.

Researchers from BAS said stabilisation of the ozone hole and changing wind patterns have driven a regional cooling phase that is temporarily masking the warming influence of greenhouse gases.