What do I tell people?

Question

What do you tell people when they say its summer time at the south pole right now. The temperatures for the last 24hrs have ranged from -21c to -42c. How can it possibly be melting?

the readings are averages taken all over antartica. But there is no way I can explain how ice can melt at -21c. Your spit will freeze before it hits the snow at that temp.

Answer 1

Because just a slight change in temp can make a world of difference when you are talking about a place as a whole. That means slowly but surely ice caps are melting and increasing the flow in water. Polar Bears are drowning because of the slight change in water elevation because of ice melting, because of the temp increase.

Answer 2

the sea ice is melting faster than it can be replenished, or rebulilt by snow fall. hey my dad says the same "it 2* here, how can it be global warming, bla bla." i ignore him

its the NATURAL cycle of the earth no 2 days or years or centureis are the same, you may have consistancy in you life but not with the earth. the only thing you can be rest assured of is that summer will follow spring will follow winter, how quickly it come is up to the earth

Answer 3

You're confusing weather (short term and local) with climate (long term and widespread).

If a scientist did that at an IPCC meeting, first everyone would laugh at him. Then they'd kick him off the project.

Answer 4

the polutants in the air make the ozone and other layers of the earth go away causing the sun to shine hotter and brighter than ever before. and also in order to keep frozen the poles need to be really cold, colder than they are now.

Answer 5

Do you mean summer in the southern hemisphere?

Answer 6

the edges melt first duh