Journal of Environmental Protection, 2011, 2, 323-325
doi:10.4236/jep.2011.23036 Published Online May 2011 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/jep)
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JEP
1
Global Warming was not Proved at Showa Base in
Antarctica
Nobuyuki Miyatake1, Noriko Sakano1, Shoko Murakami1, Takeshi Suzue2, Tomohiro Hirao2
1Department of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University, Miki, Kagawa, Japan; 2Department of Public Health, Faculty of
Medicine, Kagawa University, Miki, Kagawa, Japan.
Email: miyarin@med.kagawa-u.ac.jp
Received January 23rd, 2011; revised March 6th, 2011; accepted April 18th, 2011.
ABSTRACT
The changes in temperatures at Showa base in Antarctica were evaluated. Various parameters of temperatures at
Showa base in Antarctica were obtained from Japan Metrological Agency. Parameters of temperatures were not corre-
lated with years at Showa base (mean temperature in a year: r = 0.056, p = 0.7267). In addition, the number of days
over 4˚C was negatively correlated with years. Global warming was not proved at Showa base in Antarctica in this
study.
Keywords: Temperature, Showa Base, Antarctica, Global Warming
1. Introduction
The world is a very different place today than it was only
a short period ago. Also in Japan, urbanization and in-
dustrialization are accelerated. Global average tempera-
tures are projected to in crease by the end of this century.
An increase in mortality related to heat waves has been
reported from various industrialized countries [1-3]. For
example, we have previously showed that estimated
changes in mean temperature was 1.8˚C for 50 years in
Takamatsu areas, Japan [4]. In addition, by using mon-
thly data, higher temperature was associated with ambu-
lance transports in Takamatsu [5] and Okayama [6] areas,
Japan. However, we could not found positive change in
temperatures in Hachijo Inland, Japan [7], and whether
an increase in temperatures is actually increasing in the
world remains to be investigated. Therefore, the chrono-
logical changes in temperatures at Showa base in Antarc-
tica were explored.
2. Methods
Daily temperatures at Showa base (69˚00'S 39˚35'E) in
Antarctica (1969-2009) were obtained from Japan Mete-
orological Agency [8]. Mean temperature, mean of the
highest temperatures and mean of the lowest tempera-
tures in January, August and a year were used for analy-
sis. In addition, the changes in the number of days over
various temperatures in January and those under various
temperatures in August were also evaluated.
Simple correlation analysis was used to test the sig-
nificance of the linear relationship among continuous
variables: p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically sig-
nificant. Statistical analysis was performed with Stat-
View 5.0 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA).
3. Results
Mean temperature, mean of the highest temperatures and
mean of the lowest temperatures in January, August and
a year at Showa base were not significantly correlated
with years (mean temperature in a year: r = 0.056, p =
0.7267) (Table 1, Figure 1). In addition, we evaluated
the relationship between years and various levels of
temperatures in January and August at Showa base (Ta -
ble 2). The number of days of over 3, 4 and 5˚C in Janu-
ary was negatively correlated with years (Figure 2). Co-
efficient rate between years and over 4˚C was the highest
in January. However, the number of days under –25˚C
was not correlated with years in August (r = 0.205, p =
0.1984).
4. Discussion
Although we previously found positive changes in tem-
peratures in Takamatsu and Okayama areas, Japan,
clinical impact of global warming effect at Showa base in
ntarctica was not noted in this study. A
Global Warming was not Proved at Showa Base in Antarctica
324
Table 1. Relationship betwee n parame te r s of temperature and years at Showa base.
January August Total
r p r p r p
Mean Temperature –0.191 0.2328 0.206 0.1961 0.056 0.7267
Mean of the Highest Temperature –0.303 0.0546 0.217 0.1727 –0.005 0.9743
Mean of the Lowest Temperature –0.097 0.5473 0.226 0.1551 0.088 0.5847
Figure 1. Simple correlation analysis between mean tem-
perature in a year and years at Showa base in Antarctica
(1969~2009).
Figure 2. Simple correlation analysis between the number
of days over 4˚C in January and years at Showa base in
Antarctica (1969~2009).
Table 2 Relationship between years and various levels of
temperature in Janualy and August at Showa base in Ant-
arctica.
January August
r p r p
0˚C –0.030 0.8503 –25˚C –0.205 0.1984
1˚C –0.144 0.3681 –26˚C –0.237 0.1356
2˚C –0.272 0.0858 –27˚C –0.207 0.1936
3˚C –0.348 0.0258 –28˚C –0.165 0.3039
4˚C –0.427 0.0053 –29˚C –0.120 0.4563
5˚C –0.407 0.0083 –30˚C –0.156 0.3299
Average subsurface temperature profiles in four Asian
cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Bangkok) were com-
pared and analyzed to evaluate the effects of surface
warming [9]. The magnitude of surface warming was the
largest in Tokyo (2.8˚C), followed by Seoul, Osaka and
Bangkok. Nakai et al investigated heat-related deaths in
Japan from 1968 through 1994 and heat-related deaths
were most prone to occur on days with a peak daily tem-
perature above 38˚C [10]. In addition, they reported that
incidence of heat-related deaths showed and exponential
dependence on the number of hot days [10]. Bai et al.
also showed that the number of unusual deaths in the
summer of 1994 in Osaka, Japan was more compared to
those of previous years [11]. Qui et al. reported that an
unusually hot spell in 1999 was followed by a high mor-
tality rate in Hokkaido, Japan [12]. When the air tem-
perature is over 34˚C, cardiovascular and nervous disor-
ders can occur as a result of problems associated with
body temperature adjustment and metabolism of water
and salts [12]. Unexpectedly high temperatures are par-
ticularly difficult for chronic diseases [13] and the eld-
erly [14,15].
However, mean temperature in a year was not corre-
lated with years in this study. In addition, the number of
days of over 4˚C in January was negatively correlated
with years. Although the mechanism was not proved in
this study, the evidence of global warming was not
proved at Showa base in Antarctica. Further observation
was urgently re quired to prove the glo bal warming.
REFERENCES
[1] M. Lye and A. Kamal, “Effects of a Heatwave on Mortal-
ity-Rates in Elderly Inpatients,” Lancet, Vol. 1, No. 8010,
March 1977, pp. 529-531.
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(77)91385-X
[2] K. E. Smoyer, “A Comparative Analysis of Heat Waves
and Associated Mortality in St. Louis, Missouri—1980
and 1995,” International Journal of Biometeorology, Vol.
42, No. 1, September 1998, pp. 44-50.
doi:10.1007/s004840050082
[3] W. B. Applegate, J. W. Jr. Runyan, L. Brasfield, M. L.
Williams, C. Konigsberg and C. Fouche,” Analysis of the
1980 Heat Wave in Memphis,” Journal of the American
Geriatrics Society, Vol. 29, No. 8, August 1981, pp.
337-342.
[4] N. Miyatake, N. Sakano, S. Murakami, S. Suna, T. Suzue
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JEP
Global Warming was not Proved at Showa Base in Antarctica 325
and T. Hirao, “Comparison of the Temperatures among
Rural, Urban and Metropolitan Areas around the Inland
Sea in Japan,” Environmental Monitoring and Assessment,
Springer, Berlin, 2011, in press.
[5] N. Miyatake, M. Nakao, N. Sakano, S. Suna, T. Suzue
and T. Hirao, “Higher Ambulance Transports were
Closely Associated with Higher Ambulance Transports in
Takamatsu Area, Japan,” Journal of Environmental Pro-
tection, Vol. 2, No. 1, March 2011, pp.72-75.
[6] N. Sakano, M. Miyata ke, T. Suzue, S. Suna, T. Hirao and
K. Ogino, “The Relation between High Temperatures and
Ambulance Transports in Okayama City, Japan,” Journal
of Preventive Medicine, in Japanese, Vol. 6, No. 1, March
2011. pp. 17-20.
[7] N. Sakano, M. Miyatake, S. Murakami, T. Suzue, T.
Hirao and K. Ogino, “Changes in Temperatures in Oka-
yama Area Compared with Different Urbanization Areas,
Japan,” Journal of Environmental Protection, Vol. 2, No.
2, April 2011, pp. 162-167.
[8] Japan Meteorological Agency, 2010. Internet Available:
http://www.d ata.j ma.go.jp/obd/ sta t s/et r n/i n dex.php?pre c_
no=99&prec_ch=%93%EC%8B%C9&block_no=89532
&block_ch=%8F%BA%98a&year=&month=&day=&vie
w=
[9] M. Taniguchi, T. Uemura and K. Jagoon, “Combined
Effects of Urbanization and Global Warming on Subsur-
face Temperature in for Asian Cities,” Vadose Zone
Journal, Vol. 6, No. 3, August 2007, pp. 591-596.
doi:10.2136/vzj2006.0094
[10] S. Nakai, T. Itoh and T. Morimoto, “Deaths from Heat-
Stroke in Japan: 1968-1994,” International Journal of Bio-
meteorology, Vol. 43, No. 3, November 1999, pp. 124-127.
doi:10.1007/s004840050127
[11] H. Bai, M. N. Islam, H. Kuroki, K. Honda and C. Waka-
sugi, “Deaths Due to Heat Waves during the Summer of
1994 in Osaka Prefecture, Japan,” Nihon Hoigaku Zasshi,
in Japanese, Vol. 49, No. 4, August 1995, pp. 265-274.
[12] D. Qiu, T. Tanihata, H. Aoyama, T. Fujita, Y. Inaba and
M. Minowa, “Relationship between a High Mortality
Rate and Extreme Heat during the Summer of 1999 in
Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan,” Journal of Epidemiology,
Vol. 12, No. 3, May 2002, pp. 254-257.
[13] J. C. Semenza, C. H. Rubin, K. H. Falter, J. D. Selanikio,
W. D. Flanders, H. L. Howe and J. L. Wilhelm, “Heat-
Related Deaths during the July 1995 Heat Wave in Chi-
cago,” New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 335, No.
2, July 1996, pp. 84-90.
doi:10.1056/NEJM199607113350203
[14] J. B. Worfolk, “Heat Waves: Their Impact on the Health
of Elders,” Geriatric Nursing, Vol. 21, No. 2, March-
April 2000, pp. 70-77.
doi:10.1067/mgn.2000.107131
[15] T. S. Jones, A. P. Liang, E. M. Kibourrne, M. R. Griffin,
P. A. Patriarca, S. G. Wassilak, R. J. Mullan, R. F. Her-
rick, H. D. Jr. Donnell, K. Choi and S. B. Thancker,
“Morbidity and Mortality Associated with the July 1980
Heat Wave in St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo,” The Jour-
nal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 247, No.
24, June 1982, pp. 3327-3331.
doi:10.1001/jama.247.24.3327
Copyright © 2011 SciRes. JEP