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Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

washingtonpost.com

11–20 of 90 posts

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#11

So what will be the consequences of this? Article makes it clear this is not normal, but doesn't really say much else.

Accelerated calving, meltwater flows, unsafe ice conditions for researchers would be some of the immediate consequences, in addition to the obvious long-term atmospheric and oceanic implications resulting from ice volume loss.

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#12
post #9

So what will be the consequences of this? Article makes it clear this is not normal, but doesn't really say much else.

I'd argue that such event is the consequences.

And melting all that ice would have drastic effects on the oceans. Current changes, sea level rises, etc. we probably can only estimate at the lower range of consequences.

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#14

So what will be the consequences of this? Article makes it clear this is not normal, but doesn't really say much else.

The Elder Things will awaken and humanity will have to choose a side between the Elders and the Shoggoths.

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#15
post #13

So what will be the consequences of this? Article makes it clear this is not normal, but doesn't really say much else.

Nobody really knows, and it's too late to do anything real about it. Fun times.

It is too late to do something about what happens _today_, it is not too late to do something about what is now likely to happen in a decade, and two, and three.

Your comment sounds like on of the stages of the "four stage strategy" from Yes Minister:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXIetP5iak

originally about why the UK doesn't help foreign nations in an inconvenient crisis.

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#16

So what will be the consequences of this? Article makes it clear this is not normal, but doesn't really say much else.

The equivalent sea level rise numbers here are larger than I was expecting, but if temperatures are regularly above melting (are they? IDK from the article), one should expect something like this: https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/glaciers-and-climate/what-...

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#17
post #13

So what will be the consequences of this? Article makes it clear this is not normal, but doesn't really say much else.

Nobody really knows, and it's too late to do anything real about it. Fun times.

That is wrong on many levels. Such nihilist position does not help the millions of people leading concrete actions on different scales.

You are wrong, it's not too late to change how we behave regarding climate and such way of thinking is unlikely to induce the required actions.

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#18
post #10

> This event is completely unprecedented and upended our expectations about the Antarctic climate system While this is more about weather than climate it shows how much is still left to be understood.

I found it a bit clickbaity. The title is correct to the letter but not really to the spirit, because down at the bottom there is:

> Temperatures are known to vary wildly over Antarctica, and massive swings are common. Contrasting with this warm spell over eastern Antarctica, the South Pole observed just observed its coldest April to September period on record last year, with an average temperature of minus-78 degrees (minus-61 Celsius).

But to be sure "The heat dome was exceptionally intense, five standard deviations above normal" is nuts.

We should rename Antarctica to something like "Crazy continent".

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#19

So what will be the consequences of this? Article makes it clear this is not normal, but doesn't really say much else.

Nothing long term, it will most likely swing back the other way in a decade or two just like it has done for all of recorded history, oscillating back and forth like a global thermal tide.

Re: Eastern Antarctica sees record temperatures 70 degrees above normal

#20
post #10

> This event is completely unprecedented and upended our expectations about the Antarctic climate system While this is more about weather than climate it shows how much is still left to be understood.

I found it a bit clickbaity. The title is correct to the letter but not really to the spirit, because down at the bottom there is: > Temperatures are known to vary wildly over Antarctica, and massive swings are common. Contrasting with this warm spell over eastern Antarctica, the South Pole observed just observed its coldest April to September period on record last year, with an average temperature of minus-78 degree…

Uhh last I checked 5 standard deviations was the definition of a statistically significant difference.

To me it sounds like a realization that climate changes will have drastic and possibly chaotic effects.

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