Antarctic Temperatures On the Rise

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01/23/2009

Jan. 23, 2009

Antarctic Temperatures On the Rise

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Researchers report that average temperatures in the Antarctic are indeed on the rise, matching findings from elsewhere on the globe. The work, reported this week in the journal Nature, looked at 50 years worth of temperature data taken from the frozen continent. From 1957 to 2006, temperatures across Antarctica rose an average of 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit per decade, the scientists found. The researchers found that the western part of Antarctica has warmed the most.

Previous data from Antarctica had not shown the warming trend -- in part due to the lack of detailed weather monitoring there, the researchers say. We'll talk with one of the authors of the paper about its findings.

Produced by Annette Heist, Senior Producer

Guests

Eric Steig
Professor, Department of Earth and Space Sciences

Director, Quaternary Research Center

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington

Discussion

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