Arctic summer
It may still be January, but the arctic region is seeing record temperatures of a level usually seen during the summer. Summer has come to the arctic island Jan Mayen - in January. PHOTO: SCANPIX |
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Norway's Meteorological Institute reported that the ice line on Svalbard is extremely far north for the season. The waters around Svalbard are nearly free of ice and there are large areas of open sea up to near 84 degrees north.
The reason is that the usual winter wind from the east or northeast has been replaced by winds from the south or southwest more usually seen in the summer. As the sea becomes freer of ice, this in turn helps warm up the air.
The average temperature on Svalbard in January so far this year has been -1.6C (29F), fully 13C (24F) higher than normal.
A record temperature was recorded by the Meteorological Institute on the arctic island of Jan Mayen (71 degrees north) on Wednesday evening. The reading of 9.4C (49F) was easily the warmest in all of Norway and typical of summer on the island.
Jonathan Tisdall
..a Portal ..
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