West Antarctica warming fast

Temperature record from high-altitude station shows unexpectedly rapid rise

While the Arctic melts apace with rising global temperatures, Antarctica is often seen as the literal polar opposite — frigid, unyielding, impervious to change. But a spot in the heart of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is one of the fastest-warming places on Earth, a new study shows.

Red colors indicate parts of Antarctica whose temperatures track closely with those measured at Byrd station (star), where new research shows that temperatures are heating up faster than expected.