A remote research station
on the northern tip of
the Antarctic Peninsula
( closest to the equator )
is the
Argentine base,
Argentine base,
Esperanza
( coordinates:
63°23′51″S 56°59′52″W. )
The station
claimed
to have set
a brand new
record high
temperature
of 18.3°C on
February 6, 2020.
The prior record
of 17.5°C was on
March 24, 2015,
according to
Servicio
Meteorológico
Nacional
( SMN ),
Argentina’s
national
meteorological
service.
The New York
Times wrote:
"Antarctica,
the coldest,
windiest and
driest continent
on Earth,
set a record
high temperature
on Thursday,
underscoring
global warming”.
“ ... the high temperature
is in keeping with the earth’s
overall warming trend, which
is in large part caused by
emissions of greenhouse
gases."
On February 6, 2020,
a "chinook wind"
raised Esperanza’s
normal 32°F
summer
temperature
to 64.9°F
in just 6 hours.
Twelve hours after
the "chinook wind "
relaxed, cold winds
dropped Esperanza’s
temperature back
to its normal 32°F.
Note:
In the western USA,
warm dry winter winds
descending from
the Rocky Mountains
are called chinooks.
The laws of physics
state increasing pressure
increases temperature
without adding heat.
As air moves down slope
and compresses, it warms.
When downslope winds
warm, and dry the air,
they also encourage
wildfires.
In southern California
these periodic winds
are called Santa Annas,
-- or Diablo winds
in northern California.
In the Swiss Alps,
downslope winds
are called foehn winds.
Climate
change
requires
30+ years
to detect, but
the warm spike
at Esperanza
came, and left,
over a period
of 12 hours.
Climate change
alarmists blamed
"climate change",
despite the region’s
two decade long
cooling trend.
But the real
Antarctica
heat record is
19.8 degrees C.,
set in 1982 !
From the WMO's
February 7, 2020
press release:
“The record for
the Antarctic region
– that is, everywhere
south of 60 degrees
latitude – is 19.8C,
taken on Signy Island
in January 1982.”
Signy Island’s
1982 record
of 19.8 C.
( 67.6°F. )
was also driven
by chinook winds.
The British
Antarctic
Survey
( BAS )
Signy
Research
Station at
Factory Cove,
Borge Bay,
Signy Island,
is outside of the
Antarctic Circle.
Using ONE
temporary
warm spike
in temperature
at Esperanza
to represent
"the Antarctica
temperature",
is like using
measurements
at ONE Greenland
weather station
to represent
"the Arctic
temperature,"
The World
Meteorological
Organization
press release
noted that:
“the Antarctic,
like the Arctic,
is poorly covered
in terms of weather
observations
and forecasts,
even though
both play an
important role
in driving climate
and ocean patterns
and in sea level rise.”
Antarctica's size
is 14 million km2
-- twice the size
of Australia.
The Antarctic
Peninsula
is NOT the
Antarctic
continent,
or “region”.
The Antarctic
Peninsula is
the northwest tip
of the continent,
getting close to
South America,
and is only
a few percent
of Antarctica's
total surface area.
Antarctica’s
average annual
temperature
ranges from
−10°C on the
Antarctic coast,
to −60°C at the
highest parts
of the interior.
Its ice sheet
is up to
4.8km thick,
and the ice
contains 90%
of the world’s
fresh water,
enough to raise
Earth's sea level
by around
60 meters,
if it all melted.
The Esperanza base
is actually outside
of the Antarctic
Circle, which runs
66°33′48.0″
south of
the Equator.
It is misleading
to present ONE
local “record”
temperature,
outside of the
Antarctic Circle,
as being meaningful
for ALL of Antarctica,
including inside
the Antarctic Circle.
It's even worse
to not mention
the ACTUAL record
warm temperature
was at Signey Island,
also outside of the
Antarctic Circle,
in 1982 !
in 1982 !