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Arctic Circle sees highest-ever temperatures

Meteorologists have observed another indication of global warming being in full swing. Temperatures in the Arctic Circle hit an all-time record on Saturday, with the mercury topping 38º Celsius in the Siberian town of Verkhoyansk. The town currently holds the Guinness World Record for the greatest temperature range on Earth. It fluctuates from a low of minus 68ºC to a high of 37.3ºC. The record heat is 18 degrees higher than the daily average for June. The Arctic Circle has been experiencing a heatwave for much of this year. Temperatures have averaged 10 degrees above normal. This is ringing alarm bells with climatologists, who say the Arctic Circle is warming at twice the rate of the global average.

Atmosphere scientist Professor Dann Mitchell expressed his concern on rising temperatures. He told the BBC: "Year-on-year temperature records are being broken around the world, but the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, so it is unsurprising to see records being broken in this region. We will see more of this in the near future." Professor Chris Rapley of University College London said: "This is a warning message from the Earth itself. We ignore it at our peril." Scientists say higher temperatures in Siberia could accelerate global warming. Melting Siberian permafrost is releasing alarming levels of the greenhouse gasses carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere.