The Arctic warms while the Antarctic cools due to human causes.

An international team of researchers from the UK and US have explained the different effects humans are having on the poles. In the Arctic, human-generated emissions are creating rapid warming and melting of ice. By contrast, as explained by Gareth Marshall of the British Antarctic Survey, the majority of the Antarctic, except the Antarctic Peninsula, is experiencing chilling winds.

Supreme Master Television asked scientists Dr. Mark Serreze and Dr. Ted Scambos from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) to explain these different phenomena between the two polar regions that are occurring due to global warming.

Dr. Ted Scambos, head scientist, US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), University of Colorado

Dr. Mark Serreze, climate scientist, US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), University of Colorado

Dr. Mark Serreze: It’s predicated on a very, very important number, the freezing point of water, 32˚F, 0˚C, whatever way you want to look at it, that critical number. And right now, well, even 20 years ago, you’d have part of the year where most of the Arctic was at or above that critical point. But we warmed up just a little bit, now all of a sudden, you start to greatly extend the length of that melt season, so things can really get going. So the Arctic has always been closer to that tipping point than the Antarctic because it’s closer to that critical number, that critical freezing point number.

VOICE: The Antarctic is also affected by global warming, but at a slower rate because of its sheer size among other factors.

Dr. Ted Scambos: And even though a tiny part of Antarctica is engaged right now in this faster flow and warming, it’s still having a significant contribution. Greenland is having a very significant contribution and of course warming of the oceans themselves is also starting to have a big effect. This is all about the sea level rise part of the problem. Antarctica tends to react more slowly, but it’s a much larger area of ice.

VOICE: Both poles’ conditions attest to how natural climate variability and human-caused global warming are combining to create further climatic changes around the globe.

Dr. Mark Serreze: We will probably see, for example, an accelerated hydrologic cycle, because we were talking earlier that you warm it up, you put more water vapor into the atmosphere. Well water vapor fuels storms. So you would have, for example, more and more severe weather events.

VOICE: We are grateful, Dr. Scambos and Dr. Serreze, for your ongoing efforts to help us understand our current climate systems. We especially pray that we can stabilize and protect both the Arctic and the Antarctic polar regions, which are critical to the rest of our planet's future.

http://uk.reuters.com:80/article/oilRpt/idUKN0220811720080502