Luck was on Antarctica's side
The event caused the endangered Conger Ice Shelf to finally collapse. But the effects weren't as bad as they could have been. This is due to the heat wave in March, the month when Antarctica enters the dark and extremely cold winter. If a summer heatwave occurs which is more likely due to climate change the consequences could be catastrophic.
Despite the heat wave, most temperatures in the interior of the continent remained below freezing. The peak included a new alltime high temperature of −9.4 °C (15.1 °F) on March 18 near the Concordia research station in Antarctica. To understand the magnitude of this, consider that the previous March high temperature in this location was 27.6 °C (17.68 °F). At the peak of the heat wave, 3.3 million square kilometers in East Antarctica an area the size of India were affected by the heat wave.
Impacts included widespread rainfall and surface melt along coastal areas. But inland, tropical moisture fell in the form of snow lots and lots of snow. It is interesting to note that the weight of snow compensated for the loss of ice in Antarctica over the year. This provided temporary relief from Antarctica's contribution to global sea level rise.
Learn from results
So what are the lessons here? Let's start with the good part. The study was made possible through the international collaboration of the Antarctic scientific community, including open sharing of datasets. This cooperation is a cornerstone of the Antarctic Treaty. It serves as a testament to the importance of peaceful international cooperation and should be celebrated.