<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/04/temperatures-at-north-pole-20c-above-average-and-beyond-ice-melting-point>
"Temperatures at the north pole soared more than 20C above average on Sunday,
crossing the threshold for ice to melt.
Temperatures north of Svalbard in Norway had already risen to 18C hotter than
the 1991–2020 average on Saturday, according to models from weather agencies in
Europe and the US, with actual temperatures close to ice’s melting point of 0C.
By Sunday, the temperature anomaly had risen to more than 20C.
“This was a very extreme winter warming event,” said Mika Rantanen, a scientist
at the Finnish Meteorological Institute. “Probably not the most extreme ever
observed, but still at the upper edge of what can happen in the Arctic.”
Burning fossil fuels has heated the planet by about 1.3C since preindustrial
times, but the poles are warming much faster as reflective sea ice melts. The
increase in average temperatures has driven an increase in fiercely hot summers
and unsettlingly mild winters.
Julien Nicolas, a scientist at the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, said
the unusually mild temperatures in the depths of the polar winter were linked
to a deep low-pressure system over Iceland, which was directing a strong flow
of warm air towards the north pole.
Extra-hot seas in the north-east Atlantic were strengthening the wind-driven
warming, he added.
“This type of event is relatively rare, but we are not able to assess its
frequency without further analysis,” said Nicolas. “We are aware that a similar
event occurred in February 2018.”
The Copernicus data showed daily average temperatures were more than 20C above
average near the north pole on Sunday, with absolute temperatures above -1C as
far north as 87°N.
The findings were confirmed by an Arctic snow buoy, which logged absolute
temperatures of 0.5C on Sunday.
Climate scientists estimate global temperatures through the re-analysis of
billions of weather measurements from satellites, ships, aircraft and weather
stations. But in remote regions such as the central Arctic, where there are
fewer direct observation sites, it was “difficult to estimate the exact
temperature anomaly”, said Rantanen.
“All the models I have seen indicate a temperature anomaly over 20C,” he said.
“I would say 20-30C is the order of magnitude.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
