Devil in the Detail

Global surface temperatures have increased by 0.6 � 0.2°C in the last century, but this warming has not been evenly distributed across the globe. Some regions, such as the Antarctic Peninsula, have seen a higher than average warming. In their Perspective, Vaughan et al. show that the recent warming in the Antarctic Peninsula has likely been exceptional for 1900 years. Yet global circulation models are unable to reproduce this warming. They conclude that properly targeted national adaptation planning requires a better understanding of regionally specific climate processes