Results from a new reconstruction of Antarctic near-surface temperatures since the 1950s

Several attempts have been made in recent years to reconstruct Antarctic temperatures spatially and temporally using the sparse network of station observations available since the 1957-58 International Geophysical Year. Here, we present the results from a new Antarctic-wide reconstruction of near-surface temperatures. This work build upon the recent publication of a complete temperature record for Byrd Station – the only anchor point in West Antarctica – and the optimization of a kriging technique previously employed for such reconstruction. The spatial correlations used to guide the interpolation are derived from the 2-meter temperature field of the ERA-Interim Reanalysis.

The long-term temperature trends show significant warming both in the Antarctic Peninsula and in West Antarctica. They also suggest that the changes in the atmospheric circulation responsible for the warming differ between these two regions. Given the large spatial footprint of the Byrd temperature record, the characteristics of the warming seen in West Antarctica largely reflect those found at Byrd Station: stronger warming than previously estimated by other temperature reconstructions, warming maximized in austral spring and winter, and statistically significant warming also present in austral summer. The presentation will further discuss the temperature changes during the modern satellite era for which several global reanalyses can provide insight into the changes in the atmospheric circulation responsible for the warming.