The mean temperature of the Earth's surface has risen noticeably over the past decades. This warming is to a large extent due to the anthropogenic emissions of CO2 that amplify the natural greenhouse effect. Observations show, however, that there has been hardly or almost no increase in the surface temperature of inland Antarctica over the same period.
The mean temperature of the Earth's surface has risen noticeably over the past decades. This warming is to a large extent due to the anthropogenic emissions of CO2 that amplify the natural greenhouse effect. Observations show, however, that there has been hardly or almost no increase in the surface temperature of inland Antarctica over the same period. Scientists from the University of Bremen and the Alfred Wegener Institute have examined the specificity of Antarctica with regard to the greenhouse effect. They have now published the results of their research based on satellite surveys and radiative transfer calculations in an article for the journal "Geophysical Research Letters". Its most important result: An increase in the CO2 concentration does not amplify the greenhouse effect here - that is the exact contrast to the rest of the world. According to the study, the greenhouse effect is only enhanced by increased CO2 concentrations, when the temperature on the Earth's surface is higher than the temperature in higher air layers. However, for the high altitudes of Antarctica at 3000 metres the annual mean temperature is lower than in the stratosphere.
There is more information in this press release by the University of Bremen.
Original Study:
Holger Schmithüsen, Justus Notholt, Gerd König-Langlo, Peter Lemke, Thomas Jung. How increasing CO2 leads to an increased negative greenhouse effect in Antarctica. Geophysical Research Letters, in press, 2015. doi: 10.1002/2015GL066749