Paris (AFP) – Not for the first time in recent years, Europe has descended into a deep freeze while the Arctic experiences record high temperatures, leaving scientists to ponder the role global warming may play in turning winter weather upside down.

The reversal has been dramatic.

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This acceleration, experts said, circumstantially points to climate change, which has — over the same period — warmed the Arctic region twice as fast as the global average.

– Transform the planet –

Another clue may be the Arctic thaw/European deep freeze pairing.

“The surge of mild weather at the North Pole and the cold front in Europe are directly linked,” Etienne Kapikian, a scientist at Meteo France, the national weather service, told AFP.

“Just how hot is the Arctic now?” tweeted Peter Gleick, president emeritus of the Pacific Institute and a member of the US National Academy of Science.

“Hotter than ever measured in winter. Human-caused climate change is beginning to radically transform our planet.”