(Credit: Photodynamic/Shutterstock) As the rest of the world heats up and the Arctic hemorrhages ice, a different story is playing out in Antarctica. Total ice coverage there has actually increased, and temperatures have risen only mildly. As researchers have attempted to adequately model the changing climate, the Antarctic paradox has served as ammunition for climate change deniers and challenged climate scientists. But three recently published papers help explain why the Antarctic isn't falling in line with the rest of the world, while highlighting an overlooked trend in Antarctic sea ice.
One reason Antarctica has remained cold is due to the presence of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), a wide band of slow-moving cold water that completely encircles the continent. The current keeps out warmer water that has driven changes in the northern hemisphere, and preserves Antarctica's vast shelves of floating sea ice. As a team of researchers from MIT and ...
