Record winter temperatures in Antarctic raise fears over speed of climate breakdown
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- Esperanza base logged a maximum temperature of 15.4 °C on 6 June, surpassing its 1998 winter record by 2 °C.
- Raúl Cordero (University of Groningen climate professor) called the event "absolutely crazy" and noted it was about 20 °C above normal for the season.
- Boonen Rivera (Chilean weather station) recorded temperatures close to 13 °C during the same heatwave.
- King George Island researchers observed the landscape turning from white to brown, grey, and green after temperatures reached 4.6 °C on 6 June.
- Luis Muñoz (Chilean glaciologist) reported rain melting ice on Collins glacier, an abnormal ablation for this time of year.
- Scientists warned that major glaciers like Thwaites and Pine Island may have passed tipping points that could raise global sea levels by four meters, and that Antarctic ice melt slows global ocean circulation.
- Cordero linked the heatwave to extremely strong westerlies, a pattern increasing in frequency since the 1980s and associated with climate change.
Why it matters: The unprecedented warmth directly demonstrates that Antarctic winter temperatures can exceed normal by 20 °C, reinforcing scientists' warnings that major glaciers like Thwaites and Pine Island may already be past tipping points, potentially adding up to four meters of sea‑level rise and altering ocean circulation.
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