Rising Temps to Bring More Rain to Antarctica.

• Position: CLIMATE CHANGE

An analysis of historic and projected simulations from 19 global climate models shows that, because of climate change, the temperature in the Antarctic peninsula will increase by 0.5[degrees]-1.5[degrees]C by 2044. The projections also show that precipitation--a threat to ice if it manifests as rain--likely will increase on the peninsula by about five percent to 10% over that same time period. The estimates were published in the journal Climate Dynamics.

"We are concerned about these findings. WeVe been seeing quite big changes overall on the peninsula--it's getting warmer and ice shelves and glaciers are discharging into the ocean," says lead author David Bromwich, research professor at Ohio State University's Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center and Department of Geography.

Since the 1950s, the peninsula, along with the rest of the western part of Antarctica, has been one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth, and because it is covered in mountains--the highest peak is just over 10,600 feet--standard climate models overlook some of the nuances of how global warming affects this area, Bromwich maintains.

The issue for the...