Report reveals alarming trends in polar regions

The Polar Climate Change Report 2023, an annual report that tracks climate change impacts in the polar regions, has found alarming extreme events and far-reaching consequences in its latest edition.

The report was released on Thursday in Beijing.

The report has found anomalies in the Antarctic region. It says the continent experienced slightly higher temperatures, with an annual average of minus 31.86 degrees Celsius, 0.05 degrees Celsius above normal. It also saw frequent extreme events, including a 40-degree Celsius temperature spike at the South Pole during polar night, from minus 74 to minus 34 degrees Celsius.

According to the report, the Arctic also saw its warmest summer since 1979. The annual average temperature for the region was minus 9.19 degrees Celsius, 0.97 degrees Celsius higher than usual, with some regions experiencing over 2.0 degrees Celsius increase.

The report also says Antarctic sea ice reached a record low of 1.788 million square kilometers in February 2023.

"Antarctic sea ice has consistently remained at low levels over the past year, with the annual cumulative sea ice extent far below historical records," Wang Jinxing, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, said at the Thursday press briefing.

"This is one of the most extreme global climate events in recent years,"  he said.

The 2023 report says the Antarctic ozone hole formed earlier and lasted longer in 2023, while Arctic ozone levels were higher than average.

In terms of greenhouse gas concentration, both polar regions showed steady increases in greenhouse gas levels, mirroring global trends, according to the report.

"In 2023, the Arctic and Antarctic regions exhibited a persistent amplifying effect on climate change with significant impacts on local ecosystems and global weather patterns," Wang said.

(Cover: Antarctica. /CFP)