Reliawire reports on Antarctica climate research by Mayewski, Birkel
Reliawire reported on recent climate change research by University of Maine scientists Paul Mayewski and Sean Birkel. Two different climate scenarios appear plausible for Antarctica in the 21st century, according to Mayewski, director of the Climate Change Institute at UMaine. An examination of climate models as well as records of climate change developed through ice cores reveal a potential for future climate surprises in the Southern Hemisphere, he said. Mayewski and fellow researchers with AntClim21 (Antarctic Climate in the 21st century), a Scientific Research Programme of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), discovered potentially different forecasts as part of a published review they developed for the scientific community. “In a nutshell, the review describes how the examination of past analogs compared to model projections differ, and the implications,” Mayewski said. Birkel, also of the Climate Change Institute, took part in the study.