A freak heat wave pushed North Pole temperatures above freezing point on Wednesday, which is 20 degrees Celsius over the standard winter temperatures and just another abnormal spike in temperatures in the region that has been observed in the recent months, according to Phys.org.
Canadian weather experts are pointing to the recent depression as reason for the phenomena. The deep, low-pressure area is currently located above Iceland and is stimulating 75-knot winds and 30-foot waves in the north Atlantic ocean, while at the same time pushing warm air in the northern direction.
"It's a very violent and extremely powerful depression, so it's not surprising that hot temperatures have been pushed so far north," said Nathalie Hasell, a meteorologist for the Canadian government. "This deep depression has pushed hot air as far as the North Pole, where temperatures are at least 20 degrees above normal, at around freezing point, between zero and two degrees."
While scientists say that the temperature rising above freezing point is not a huge issue when taken alone, in combination with the fact that 2015 has been the region's warmest on record, it may be a cause for concern, according to Voice of America.
"The Arctic is warming faster than any other part of the planet," said Robert Newton, an oceanographer at Columbia University. "And the Arctic is warming much faster than we thought it would. And it's warming even faster than most of our models predict it will."
Others are pointing to El Nino, the Pacific weather phenomenon, as the reason for the regional warming, according to Space Daily.
"It's doubtless the El Nino effect, venturing further north," said David Phillips of Canada's Environment Ministry.
The 2015 El Nino is considered to be the strongest of the century, and in combination with various other effects of climate change, it has led to floods, storms and droughts all around the world. Rare, late season tornadoes, which are believed to stem from El Nino, killed dozens of Americans this year.
