Eastern Antarctica, known as the world's coldest region, experienced its most intense heatwave on record last year, as revealed by a recent study published last month.
The study, titled "The Largest Ever Recorded Heatwave – Characteristics and Attribution of the Antarctic Heatwave of March 2022," unveiled shocking temperature anomalies in March 2022.
During this extraordinary event, temperatures in Eastern Antarctica skyrocketed approximately 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above the monthly average.
On March 18, the heatwave reached its zenith, with temperatures soaring to -10°C (-14°F), a stark contrast to the typical -54°C (-65.2°F) average for March.
Remarkably, these higher temperatures persisted for an extended period, remaining above the prior record for March, which was -31°C (-23.8°F), for over three consecutive days, including during the nighttime.
Researchers delving into the cause of this unprecedented phenomenon pinpointed unusual air circulation patterns near Australia as the root cause.
“Within just four days, an extraordinary warm mass of air from Southern Australia managed to infiltrate Eastern Antarctica, marking an unprecedented speed of such an occurrence,” Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, the author of the study said.
“Probably the first time that at least it's happened that fast.”