Khaberni - A recent study led by researchers from the Institute of Global Change and Polar Meteorology, affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, revealed that the warming caused by human activities is expected to increase disproportionately in polar regions compared to the global average, a phenomenon known as polar amplification of warming.
Based on observations taken from more than 200 monitoring stations in Antarctica, and using first-generation global reanalysis products of the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface from China, the research team was able for the first time to monitor a comprehensive warming signal across Antarctica.
The results highlighted the presence of a strong warming signal over the continent under the scenario of a temperature rise of two degrees Celsius according to the Paris Agreement, with the total warming amounting to about 1.4 times that of the average warming in the Southern Hemisphere.
In this context, Ding Ming, the head of the institute, said that the insulating effect caused by the fierce westerly winds in the Southern Hemisphere primarily allows human activities to influence by transferring heat to Antarctica through sea surface warming, which explains the delayed warming on the continent compared to other regions of the world.
He added that the continuous rise in sea surface temperatures is likely to lead to the gradual emergence of the warming amplification phenomenon in Antarctica in the coming period, with an accelerating pace of warming.
It is worth mentioning that polar warming (scientifically known as polar amplification) is a phenomenon of rising temperatures at both the North and South Poles at rates much higher than the global average.
