The year 2010 ended with the temperature change in the Northern Hemisphere. While successive waves collapsing polar airports raged in Europe under the snow and making countries such as England experienced the coldest days of its history, the Arctic latitudes are choked with unusually high temperatures. At some points, were up to 10 degrees above normal. Just think what the temperature in Spain to 10 degrees above normal to get an idea of the impact that this increase involves the thermometers in the northern latitudes.
The temperature data have recently been offered by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) a U.S. government agency that is the ultimate reference in the study of the polar regions. Network using NASA satellites and their measurements, dating back to 1979, can be accurate and consistent data on the variation of ice year after year.
According to the agency, an unusually high temperatures in the Arctic have caused this is also a minimum ice coverage for December. Thus, the NSIDC reported that the ice surface was on average in December 2010 an area of 12 million square kilometers. It is the lowest recorded for December since 1979.
The warm temperatures in the Arctic are due to two reasons as explained in a press release NSIDC. On the one hand, the areas of the ocean that have not been frozen continue to emit heat to the atmosphere. In addition, an unusual pattern of movement has brought warm air to the Arctic from the south.