*7th Feb, 2025* *News of the Day* *Why temperatures at north pole reached 20 degrees Celsius above average* *High temperature rise at North Pole* Temperatures increased by more than 20 degrees Celsius above average at the north pole, crossing the threshold for ice to melt, on February 2. While mercury soared to 18 degrees Celsius hotter than the 1991 to 2020 average in the north of Svalbard, Norway, on February 1, it had risen to more than 20 degrees Celsius by the next day. *Act as Global Refrigerator* Since 1979, the Arctic has warmed four times faster than the global average. This is an issue because the region acts as a refrigerator for the rest of the world — it helps cool the planet. If temperatures continue to soar at this rate, it can lead to severe global impacts including rising sea levels and disruption of weather patterns. *Why has the Arctic warmed faster than the global average?* The global temperatures have increased by around 1.3 degrees Celsius compared to the 1850 to1900 baseline. However, this rise in temperatures is not uniform across the planet. For instance, the Arctic has warmed 3.8 times faster than the global average since the late 1970s. There are multiple factors behind the Arctic’s rapid warming. 1. *Albedo Effect:* One of the most prominent factors is the albedo effect or how much sunlight a surface reflects. Sea ice keeps temperatures down in the polar regions, as its bright, white surface reflects more sunlight back to space than liquid water. As the ice cover in the Arctic is melting, more land or water is getting exposed to the Sun and more heat is getting absorbed, leading to a rise in temperatures. 2. *Lack of Convection:* The lack of convection in higher latitudes such as the Arctic is another reason. Convection occurs when air close to the ground is heated by the warm surface of the Earth. In the tropics, where more sunlight can reach the surface compared to the Arctic, strong convection takes place, causing warm air to rise. This vertical mixing distributes heat throughout the atmosphere. However, in the Arctic, due to weak convection, the extra warming from the greenhouse gases is not able to mix vertically and the heat remains concentrated near the surface. Relevance: GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Governance Source: Indian Express *Download the Complete Daily Current Affairs Pdf* https://www.prepmate.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/News-Juice-7th-February-2025.pdf