New analysis of West Antarctic ice cores show that the dramatic year-to-year temperature swings and a century-long warming trend in the region are linked to conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean, including El Nino events. The study reveals that West Antarctica’s climate is influenced by changes in the atmosphere and oceans thousands of miles to the north, suggesting that as the tropics warm, so too will West Antarctica.

That variation in tropical energy gain is due to albedo change that depends upon the interaction of the sun with the upper atmosphere. More UV light yields heat gain at 200hPa yields less cirrus cloud.

I didn’t realise that bears are such good swimmers.