
Hottest Arctic temperature record probably set with reading in Siberia - pseudolus
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/06/21/arctic-temperature-record-siberia/
======
grecy
Alaska had it's hottest ever recorded summer in 2019 [1] and for quite a few
years they've been significantly above average.

It's been said the Arctic is the canary in the coalmine for climate change.
Once more of the glaciers and permafrost melt more of suns heat energy will be
absorbed rather than reflected, and climate change will accelerate.

[1] [https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/high-
tem...](https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/high-temperatures-
smash-all-time-records-alaska-early-july-2019)

[https://www.ktva.com/story/40990489/anchorage-officially-
saw...](https://www.ktva.com/story/40990489/anchorage-officially-saw-the-
hottest-and-driest-summer-on-record)

[1] [https://phys.org/news/2019-07-alaska-shatters-temperature-
la...](https://phys.org/news/2019-07-alaska-shatters-temperature-largest-
city.html)

~~~
toomuchtodo
Of particular worry is accelerated methane release from peat bogs in the
thawing permafrost, creating a positive feedback loop (with potentially
irreversible consequences) [1] [2].

We’re rapidly running out of runway to mitigate the worst of climate change.

I dread to think how many joules of energy it’s going to take for us to stop
emitting carbon, but also sequester that released since the Industrial Age
began. I suppose there is some consolation in that enough sunlight hits the
Earth in an hour to power humanity for a year, so the clean energy is there
for the taking. It’s just going to take decades of sunlight to step back down
the carbon curve [3]. Such is the cost of burning ancient sunlight.

[1][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_methane_emissions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_methane_emissions)

[2][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_feedback)

[3][https://www.sandia.gov/~jytsao/Solar%20FAQs.pdf](https://www.sandia.gov/~jytsao/Solar%20FAQs.pdf)

~~~
2close4comfort
I think that permafrost loss being accelerated and the affect it has had on
overall temps is concerning. I wonder what man-made acceleration of permafrost
loss like the hydraulic mining has speed up this process that has been taking
place since 2013 and I think we are seeing the results. Sad really.

~~~
blaser-waffle
The clathrate gun has fired. Things are going to be worse than just "sad".

------
totetsu
And meanwhile, as the north sea becomes navigable, Japan and Russia invest in
new Arctic oil extraction projects.
[https://www.ft.com/content/df288d08-1c14-11ea-9186-7348c2f18...](https://www.ft.com/content/df288d08-1c14-11ea-9186-7348c2f183af)

[https://www.globalforestwatch.org/](https://www.globalforestwatch.org/) is a
useful site to get a sense of the size and progression of fires in Siberia.

------
m0zg
I can't find confirmation to this in Russian news, which strongly suggests
that this is fake news. If such a record were set, it would beat the +37.3C
record set in 1988.

Note that the article says "if verified", which you should read as, "we just
published this without verifying".

Here's apparently where everyone is getting this from:
[http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/monitor.php?id=24266](http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/monitor.php?id=24266)

Don't know about you, but to me the site does not look very credible. Other
sources (such as
[http://www.hmn.ru/index.php?index=8&value=24166](http://www.hmn.ru/index.php?index=8&value=24166))
suggest the temperature got up to 36C that day.

~~~
strombofulous
>I can't find confirmation to this in Russian news, which strongly suggests
that this is fake news.

Why?

~~~
m0zg
Because Verkhoyansk is in Russia and this supposedly happened 2 days ago
there. Someone would have written about it.

~~~
ToFab123
A quick Google for "weather Verkhoyans" says that todays temperature is
29c/84f

~~~
dispat0r
I also couldn't find 38 °C on this map (german):

[https://kachelmannwetter.com/de/messwerte/nordasien/temperat...](https://kachelmannwetter.com/de/messwerte/nordasien/temperatur/20200620-1200z.html)

