A weather station at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station registered record cold winter temperatures this season (April – September), averaging at -61.1 °C (-77.9 °F) and breaking the previous record set in 1976 at -60.6 °C (-77 °F). Weather records…
A team of scientists from Japan, South Korea, and the USA, has identified a new pattern of atmospheric circulation around the Arctic that could drive co-occurrences of heatwaves and large-scale wildfires over the region, particularly in Siberia and subpolar North…
More than 30 000 earthquakes have been registered in the Bransfield Strait, an ocean channel between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, since the end of August 2020, according to the University of Chile. The strait is now expanding 15 cm (6…
A team of researchers found evidence of a new equatorial wind pattern at Antarctica, unveiling a crucial connection between winds at the Earth's equator and atmospheric waves about 10 000 km (6 000 miles) away at the South Pole. The findings highlight how winds…
An analysis of satellite observations shows that ozone levels over the Arctic hit a record low for the month of March, NASA researchers reported on April 16, 2020. Ozone levels reached their lowest point on March 12 at 205 Dobson units. The depletion was caused by…
A huge ozone hole has opened this year over the Arctic. While ozone holes normally form in the Antarctic zone every year because winter temperatures drop to extremely low values, allowing high-altitude clouds to develop– the Arctic has more varying temperatures and…
A huge area of sustained ozone depletion has developed over the Arctic-Canadian region — too late for the winter season, too early for spring, and unusually strong for the northern hemisphere. The ozone layer is a natural layer of protective gas in the upper…
The arctic sea ice has reached its largest early February ice extent in 11 years, surpassing the average size from 2001 to 2010. The recovery is a result of a strong polar vortex. Sea ice analysis indicated that during this rather mild winter in the middle…
Very rare Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event continues unfolding above the South Pole. This SSW could go down in history as the strongest warming event on record, NIWA said, adding there is increased risk for southerlies in New Zealand into October. SSW…
Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event is in progress over the South Pole, with temperatures rising more than 40 °C (72 °F) above normal. "These events are significant, as the warming and the disruption of the polar vortex eventually makes its way…
