[Explanation] Recently, meteorologists from many countries have observed extreme high temperature weather in the north and south poles at the same time, and the temperature in some areas has exceeded the average level of the same period in previous years by 30 to 40 degrees Celsius.
Zhou Bing, chief expert on climate services at the National Climate Center, said the phenomenon was extremely unusual.
[Concurrent] Zhou Bing, chief expert of climate services at the National Climate Center
There is an unusually warm phenomenon at both poles, which is extremely unusual.
But as far as this phenomenon is concerned, it has already sounded the alarm bell for us human beings.
[Explanation] Why are there extreme high temperature weather at the North and South Poles?
Zhou Bing said that the polar atmosphere has an "amplifying" effect. In recent years, affected by global warming, the rate of polar warming is several times that of other regions.
[Concurrent] Zhou Bing, chief expert of climate services at the National Climate Center
Affected by global warming, the polar atmosphere has a "magnifying" effect.
We used to think that the Arctic is an "amplifier" of global warming. Scientists in New Zealand have found that the warming of Antarctic temperatures is now intensified and "amplified".
In fact, the high temperature in the Antarctic did not start until the tenth of March, so in February (2022), the Antarctic observation records showed that it was 2.4 °C higher than normal.
Nearly two years ago, the Arctic recorded an extremely high temperature that broke the historical record. Verkhoyansk was at 38°C on June 20 (2020), which is extremely incredible.
[Explanation] Zhou Bing introduced that if the warming of the north and south poles intensifies the melting of ice, it will affect the survival and biodiversity of polar animals such as polar bears and penguins.
Melting ice will also exacerbate global warming, because the white ice is highly reflective of sunlight and can reflect around 90 percent of the sun’s energy back into space. Melting ice will cause more of the sun’s energy to stay on the ground.
[Explanation] Zhou Bing believes that if the global warming trend is not curbed, the probability of extreme high temperatures in the north and south poles will increase in the future.
[Concurrent] Zhou Bing, chief expert of climate services at the National Climate Center
After the polar sea ice melts rapidly, it is difficult to recover and irreversible on the scale of years or decades.
Will phenomena like this (polar heat) happen frequently in the future?
If the trend of global warming does not reverse, then it is still a relatively large probability.
Dong Zeyu reports from Beijing
Responsible editor: [Fang Jialiang]