Western Antarctica Warming Confirmed

Antarctic Ice Waves.Though they appear to be frozen ocean waves, these blue ice towers in Antarctica are created when ice compresses, forcing trapped air bubbles out. When sunlight passes through this thick frozen ice, blue light waves are visible but the red light is absorbed. (Photo credit: Tony Travouillon)

Western Antarctica has warmed unexpectedly fast over the last five decades, weather records confirm, adding to sea-level rise concerns in a warming world.

Temperatures in West Antarctica have increased at a rate nearly twice as large as the global average, a 4.3 degree Fahrenheit increase since 1958, conclude meteorologists in the journal, Nature Geoscience, out Sunday. The finding adds Western Antarctica to the list of hot spots most affected by global warming, the century-long increase in global average temperatures largely driven by greenhouse gas emissions from burning oil, gas and coal.