The Air Above Antarctica Is Suddenly Getting Warmer—Here’s What It Means for Australia

The Air Above Antarctica Is Suddenly Getting Warmer—Here’s What It Means for Australia
An aerial view of Lake Tandure Menindee, Australia on Aug. 15, 2019. Mark Evans/Getty Images
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Record warm temperatures above Antarctica over the coming weeks are likely to bring above-average spring temperatures and below-average rainfall across large parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland.

The warming began in the last week of August, when temperatures in the stratosphere high above the South Pole began rapidly heating in a phenomenon called “sudden stratospheric warming”.