How could global warming be occuring, if Antarctica is steadily getting colder?

Answer 1

One of the problems with climatic data from the Antarctic is that there isn't enough of it to draw definitive conclusions. It's only recently that we've been recording detailed observations.

The observations indicate that in some parts of the interior that has been a short term (less than 20 years) trend showing a 'slight cooling'. These same observations also indicate the longer term trend is one of warming.

What we do know for certain is that outwith the interior the climate has 'warmed substantially'. It's important to make this distinction because any cooling that appears to be occuring is confined to the interior only.

There could be several reasons for parts of Antarctica cooling including any number of the following:

> Heat uptake in the Suthern Ocean is greater than elsewhere which is why the southern hemisphere is warming less than the northern hemisphere.
> Increased positivity in the Southern Annular Mode, the stronger winds preventing warmer air reaching Antarctica.
> Stratospheric ozone depletion.
> Stratospheric cooling resultant from carbon dioxide.
> Dynamical effects such as changes in ocean currents and wind.
> Dynamical atmospheric changes.

Global warming, as the name suggests, is based on conditions around the globe and is a phenomena over long periods of time. Short term events in any particular area are taken into account when producing reports, statistics, models etc.

Also, GW affects regions in different ways, some have been warming longer than others, some quicker than others. Antarctica was always understood to be the region that would be the last to start warming and it is to be expected (and current data supports this) that Antarctica will enter a warming phase similar to that experienced elsewhere within the southern hemisphere. This is based on modelled predictions, and of course, predictions aren't always accurate. However, it's worth nothing that since climate modelling began it has shown itself to be remarkably accurate.

In short, even if it is established that parts of Antarctica have cooled slightly it doesn't affect the bigger picture.

Answer 2

The Southern Hemisphere is warming a bit more slowly than the Northern, perhaps because there are more emissions there. But, overall, most all places are getting warmer. Check out page 11 of this report, based on extensive peer reviewed data. Antarctica isn't there, simply because there wasn't enough good data to satisfy the authors of this very conservative report.

http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf

Here's the best data on Antarctica I know of. It's shows warming some places, cooling others. But the data has some uncertainty.

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/03/significant-warming-of-the-antarctic-winter-troposphere/

Answer 3

The issue is not the temperature at any one
point. The issue is the average temperature all
over the planet.

More places are getting warmer than places
that are getting colder.

Using individual data points (like Antarctica) is
basically like using anecdotal data - interesting,
but meaningless if you want to look at the whole
picture.

To look at the whole picture, you need to be
sampling temperature in hundreds of thousands
of places over years.

With that data, yes, the overall temperature is
increasing at an alarming speed.

Answer 4

It's caused by the fumes from Al Gore's private jet... and he hasn't visited Antarctica...yet.

Answer 5

Antartica ins't getting colder. Try reading real science instead of junk science sites.