Rising greenhouse gases actually cool Antarctica – because it’s so dry

Rising concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide have led to a “negative greenhouse effect” above parts of Antarctica, but this slight cooling effect could reverse as the air becomes more humid alongside rising temperatures.

Greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane heat the planet by trapping radiation from its surface. However, in certain rare circumstances they can have a cooling effect, where the atmosphere radiates more heat out into space from its warm upper layers than it traps nearer to…