According to a study published by Nature Climate Change, over the past three decades, the South Pole has been warming at three times the global average.
The significant warming of the South Pole could have far-reaching consequences for the marine life in the region, contribute to rising sea-levels across the globe, and impact the lives of people living in regions along coastlines.
Between 1989 and 2018, the South Pole has warmed at a rate of +0.6 °C per decade, an overall change of 1.8-degree celsius. Kyle Clem, lead author of the study, shared with CNN what the increased warming signifies for the world, in terms of global warming:
This highlights that global warming is global and it’s making its way to these remote places. It is wild. It is the most remote place on the planet. The significance is how extreme temperatures swing and shift over the Antarctic interior, and the mechanisms that drive them are linked 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) north of the continent on the tropical Pacific.
According to researchers, while a certain level of change was expected due to natural processes, the global emissions of greenhouse gases further exacerbated the warming.