BUENOS AIRES, Feb 7, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Argentine Antarctica had its hottest
day on record Thursday since readings began, the National Meteorological
Service said.
Temperatures climbed to 18.3 degrees Celsius (64.9 degrees Fahrenheit) at
midday at the research station Esperanza base, the highest temperature on
record since 1961, according to the meteorological service.
The previous record stood at 17.5 degrees on March 24, 2015.
Argentina has had a presence in Antarctica for the past 114 years,
including several scientific research bases, and is also a signatory of the
Antarctic Treaty, which came into force in June 1961 and prohibits any
militarization of the continent.
Accelerating melt-off from glaciers and especially ice sheets in
Antarctica is helping drive sea level rises, threatening coastal megacities
and small island nations.
At Argentina’s Marambio base, temperatures reached 14.1 degrees Celsius on
Thursday, the hottest temperature for a day in February since 1971. The
previous record occurred on February 24, 2013, when temperatures reached 13.8
degrees.