The first point to appreciate is that, of all the extra heat absorbed by the planet due to global warming, 93% goes into the oceans 5% goes into melting ice and only 2% goes into warming the atmosphere. This means that the oceans have an overwhelming effect on the surface temperature of the atmosphere.
The next part of the puzzle is the big difference between the Arctic and the Antarctic. The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land and the Antarctic is a continent of land surrounded by sea. Another difference is that the Arctic is all at sea level and the altitude of the Antarctic land (or ice) is 3000 metres (10,000 feet) and is therefore about 20 centigrade colder due to its height.
The next part of the puzzle is the big difference between the Arctic and the Antarctic. The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land and the Antarctic is a continent of land surrounded by sea. Another difference is that the Arctic is all at sea level and the altitude of the Antarctic land (or ice) is 3000 metres (10,000 feet) and is therefore about 20 centigrade colder due to its height.
Even allowing for these differences the Arctic is warming faster and this is to do with the geographic layout and the capacity of water to absorb heat.
The Arctic is a closed ocean and does not have strong currents or big storms (these things are all relative).
The Arctic is a closed ocean and does not have strong currents or big storms (these things are all relative).
The Antarctic continent by comparison has an uninterrupted flow of strong winds always blowing in the same direction and blowing 365 days a year right round the World. This powerful, constant wind pushes the sea along to form a strong current which is one of the power sources that drive the ocean conveyor, to spread heat around the world and because it is consistent the current reaches into the deepest parts of the ocean where the coldest water lies.
The Southern Ocean is not consistently deep and has several shallow points. The most noticeable is between South America and West Antarctica but another is between the French Southern Ocean Lands and the Antarctic and another between New Zealand and Antarctica. These shallow areas (again it’s all relative) form turnover points where the cold deep water is driven to the surface where it can mix with the atmosphere and perform a heat exchange. The constant storms in the whole region also constantly churn the surface of this cold water and suck heat from the atmosphere and the combination of all these actions keeps the atmospheric temperature from rising to the levels seen in the Arctic.
This heat has not gone away it is just being redistributed and will come out later to force atmospheric temperatures up with a speed reminiscent to the period between 1970 and 2000.
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