Scientists observed temperature spikes more than 70 degrees above average in Antarctica, resulting in record-high death rates for invertebrate organisms.
However, as Virginia Tech reported via Phys.org, this unfortunate phenomenon may help us predict how species respond to increasingly common extreme weather anomalies.
What's happening?
The devastating weather change occurred in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, where invertebrates depend upon cold winter temperatures to remain alive but active in a "freeze-dried state."
However, on March 18, 2022, an instant heat wave occurred due to a subtropical river of air that moved over the continent.
Researchers published their findings about the event in the American Geophysical Union's Earth's Future journal and referred to it as a "weather whiplash." Satellite images showed how the temperature spike melted the frozen ground, flooding the valleys and impacting life forms that depended on staying frozen.
The mortality rate was over 50% in places that thawed and became wet.
Why are Antarctic temperatures important?
Similar events in Antarctica have caused alarming temperature jumps in the past, and scientists predict more of them in the future based on climate patterns.
The McMurdo Dry Valleys are the perfect place to study this phenomenon because scientists have been steadily tracking its meteorology, stream flow, and soil organisms for at least 30 years, per Phys.org. The harsh conditions of this land severely limit the organisms able to live here, and their livelihood to the broader ecosystem depends upon freezing conditions.
Studying Antarctica can also provide insights into threats to Emperor penguins, record-low sea ice levels, and the effects of plastic pollution on marine life.
What's being done about extreme temperature spikes?
Although the news of widespread invertebrate death and massive temperature shifts is unsettling, it also offers hope that researchers can use this example to be more prepared for future climate shifts.
What happened in Antarctica was not an isolated or geography-specific event; it's happening in communities worldwide and close to home.
"Our findings from this weather event should be eye-opening for us all," Barrett said, per Phys.org. "As we've seen in Southwest Virginia recently as well as in many other U.S. communities, the weather can now change like the flip of a switch. Rapid changes to the environment are difficult for microscopic animals, and they are challenging for people, animals, and plants as well."
It's not too late to do your part to combat extreme weather events — which have become more frequent and severe as a result of rising global temperatures linked to human-caused pollution — and make your community more climate resilient.
Individual actions like reducing your plastic usage or installing solar panels (which can also keep the lights on even if the grid isn't functioning after a storm) can contribute to a cooler, greener planet where organisms of all types and sizes can thrive.
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