Antarctica

2020 and 2016 are virtually tied for the hottest year on record. That means more powerful hurricanes, more intense wildfires, less ice and longer heat waves.

Taken just nine days apart, two images illustrate the impact a recent warm period had on the Antarctic Peninsula. NASA says such warmth "has become more common in recent years."

The preliminary finding, reported by Argentine researchers on the Antarctic Peninsula, would be the continent's hottest temperature on record if verified by the World Meteorological Organization.