Oslo, July 26: In another visible sign of global warming, Norway's Arctic archipelago of Svalbard recorded the highest-ever temperature this week. Meteorologist Kristen Gislefoss confirmed to reporters on Saturday that the islands have recorded a temperature of 21.7 degrees celsius, the maximum-ever to be recorded in the region.

The last time when Svalbard, located roughly 1,000 kilometres away from the North Pole, recorded such a relatively hot weather was around four decades ago. In 1979, the region had witnessed a peak summer temperature of 21.3 degrees. US Mountain Lakes Turn Green With Algal Bloom Due to Climate Change, Scientists Say Algae Concentration Doubled in Past 70 Years.

On Saturday, meteorologists based in the region had recorded the temperature as 21.2 degrees at around noon. The same surged to 21.7 degrees by around 6 pm local time.

Temperatures in the Arctic belt rises during the July month, when the onset of a relative heatwave. In Siberia, a temperature of 38 degrees was recorded in this summer season.

The weather is way hotter than under the normal circumstances. The arctic region, during the summer month, is expected to witness a temperature of 7-10 degrees celsius. The surge which was once occasional is now recurring with the onset of summer each year, claim environmentalists.

According to a recent study, temperature in Arctic is expected to rise by 7-10 degrees celsius between the years 2070 and 2100. This is being credited to the accumulation of greenhouse gases across the world. Although the world leaders pledged to reduce carbon emissions by half by the year 2050, the US pullout from Climate Paris accord is expected to derail the intended target.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 27, 2020 12:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).