Currently it is winter in Antarctica. According to news I read, Antarctica has set a new record high temperature, above 18 °C. How did this temperature records occur?
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5What news? What publication/media? – Peter Mortensen Jul 03 '21 at 07:00
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@PeterMortensen I agree it should be linked in the question, but luckily it's now in Jean-Marie Prival's answer. The original news was from 2020, here's a photo. – uhoh Jul 04 '21 at 01:23
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Hint: Read it again half a year from now ;) – JollyJoker Jul 04 '21 at 16:31
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You just read the news too fast. WMO announced that, after evaluation by a committee, they have validated the 18.3°C temperature recorded in February (i.e., in summer) last year:
GENEVA, 1 July 2021 (WMO) - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has recognized a new record high temperature for the Antarctic continent of 18.3° Celsius on 6 February 2020 at the Esperanza station (Argentina).
Jean-Marie Prival
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10I initially read WMO as WHO, and was very confused as to why WHO were measuring Antarctic temperatures! – Tim Jul 02 '21 at 19:18
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I would also add, "winter", "summer", and so on, are seasons, not thermal or climate events. What is "winter" on Mars? Or on Venus? Or Mercury? Or Pluto? – C. M. Jul 03 '21 at 18:01
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1@C.M. “Winter: the coldest season of the year…” - sounds pretty thermal to me! – Tim Jul 03 '21 at 18:51
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@C. M. Mars also has seasons and much like earth you generally have the coldest days being in winter and the warmest days in summer. If 18 degrees actually occurred during Antarctica's winter we would be in serious trouble. Venus has the thick atmosphere but it wouldn't have seasons because like Mercury, no tilt. Pluto is too far away to matter. – eps Jul 03 '21 at 18:58
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2@Tim: That does not mean every day has to be more cold than any day during 'summer'. We can, and do, have days in winter that are warmer than some days in summer, and vice versa. The assumption that 'winter' must be colder (than 'summer', for instance) is the error in logic that I am pointing out. – C. M. Jul 03 '21 at 19:04
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@C.M. I am not aware of any location having its hottest temperature in winter. There being hotter days in winter than some days in summer (perhaps? I don’t even know that that’s true!) is irrelevant when talking about highs + lows. But winter must, by definition, be colder than summer. – Tim Jul 03 '21 at 19:06
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1@eps: Correct. Seasons are the result of various factors: orbit and location within the orbit, axial tilt and rotation, etc. But as I said in my other comment, that was not my point. The point is that the assumptions made creates ambiguity, logical fallacies, and other issues. There is also missing information. "Record high" could mean "Record high for normal temperatures", and even further by "for this season" or "for the date given". I am not suggesting/debating/whatever that 18C would not be "bad mojo" in the fully assumed context, only that the context IS "assumed". – C. M. Jul 03 '21 at 19:13
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@uhoh seasons don’t really exist near the equator, at least not in the same way. – Tim Jul 04 '21 at 06:31
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@Tim they are still well defined and bounded by the equinoxes, independent of meteorological conditions. It can still be Tuesday even people around you don't use a calendar. So I've just asked Where can I ask “Do they use seasons in Ecuador?” – uhoh Jul 04 '21 at 06:44
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@uhoh given that seasons are defined by “weather, ecology and daylight hours”, I’m not sure that’s exactly true… seasons do exist there, but it’s normally rainy / dry. There they’re defined by rain, rather than temperature, so there isn’t a “cold season” which could have a hottest temperature - but I’m just repeating what the answer to your question says now! – Tim Jul 04 '21 at 06:44
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@Tim disagree because I'm a nerd and not a practical person; first day of spring happens on the "Spring Equinox" which is really the southward or autumnal (sic) equinox in the southern hemisphere, and northward or vernal in the northern hemisphere. (should have said "equinoxes and solstices" in the previous comment) – uhoh Jul 04 '21 at 06:48
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1@uhoh I think I understand the confusion. The definition involving the the equinox is the astronomical definition. I’ve been focusing on the meteorological definition! In the U.K., by the Met Office, spring is defined as 1st March - 31 May! https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/seasons/spring/when-does-spring-start. In countries close to the equator, obviously that meteorological definition wouldn’t be used; but the astronomical definition is not exactly relevant when discussing climate / weather. But I will concede you are technically correct :D – Tim Jul 04 '21 at 06:52
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@Tim ya star gazers who also read about it have astronomical seasons drilled into their heads from an early age no matter where they live. I grew up mid-latitudes and live near one of the tropic lines and when the Sun is directly overhead my brain fries as much from the disappearance of my own shadow as much as it does from the heat. And of course we do have an incredibly active and noticeable "typhoon season". – uhoh Jul 04 '21 at 06:58
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Supplemental to Jean-Marie Prival's answer:
The February 2020 event was already discussed here in a question posted the same day this went public: What is the second thermometer in the image from the Esperanza Antarctic temperature record?
twitter.com wmo.int bloomberg.com nytimes.com theguardian.com
The tweet contained an image of a literal analogue thermometer which did show the 18.3°C... but curiously enough, also another thermometer showing merely 10.0°C.
The answer to that question is that this pair forms a wet-dry bulb system for measuring humidity.
