The Antarctic Peninsula is cooling in response to the shrinking ozone hole and a changing wind pattern, according to a new study published in the journal Nature.
The study, undertaken by the British Antarctic Survey, concludes that changing wind patterns pushed warm water away from Antarctica, therefore cooling the northern-most part of the continent.
“The ozone hole, sea-ice and westerly winds have been significant in influencing regional climate change in recent years,” John Turner, lead author of the study, stated in the report.
Despite this cooling trend, scientists say global warming has not necessarily ended.”This new research definitely doesn’t imply that warming of the planet has stopped,” Nerilie Abram,
“This new research definitely doesn’t imply that warming of the planet has stopped,” Nerilie Abram, professor at Australian National University, told The Guardian Thursday. “For a remote place like Antarctica, where climate measurements are especially short and those year-to-year swings in climate are very large, our records really aren’t long enough yet to see the full picture of human-caused climate change.”