New Antarctic Climate Principle Revealed by Scientists
Scientists discover a fundamental principle of Antarctic climate
University Of Colorado Boulder
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Researchers, led by Bradley Markle from the University of Washington, have identified a new principle governing temperature variations in Antarctica, revealing that the greenhouse effect causes warmer regions to experience more significant temperature changes. This discovery could reshape understanding of climate dynamics globally.
- 01The greenhouse effect amplifies temperature changes more in warmer areas of Antarctica than in colder regions.
- 02Markle and his team reconstructed Antarctic surface temperatures over the last 160,000 years to support their findings.
- 03The study challenges the traditional Planck response principle, which suggested warmer areas should respond less dramatically to climate shifts.
- 04Markle's research provides a new method to assess past ice sheet thickness, enhancing understanding of ice sheet dynamics.
- 05The findings could influence future climate models and predictions regarding Antarctica's response to global warming.
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A decade-long investigation by Bradley Markle, a principal investigator at the University of Washington, has led to the discovery of a new principle explaining temperature variations in Antarctica. Published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study reveals that the greenhouse effect causes warmer areas to warm or cool more dramatically than colder ones. This contradicts the previously accepted Planck response principle, which posited that warmer regions would react less to temperature changes. Markle and his colleague Eric Steig analyzed ice core data to reconstruct 160,000 years of Antarctic temperatures, confirming their hypothesis that the greenhouse effect is nonlinear across varying temperatures. This breakthrough not only enhances understanding of Antarctic climate dynamics but also offers a new framework for assessing past ice sheet thickness, which could aid in predicting future climate responses. Markle emphasizes the importance of paleoclimate research in revealing insights about current climate processes that modern records cannot capture.
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The findings could significantly influence climate modeling and predictions regarding how Antarctica will react to ongoing global warming.
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