Satellite data has revealed that temperatures in the polar regions ofboth northern and southern hemispheres fluctuate markedly with thewaxing and waning of the Moon.According to John Shaffer and hiscolleagues at the Department of[ogy at Arizona State University inrempe, average temperatures in theAxtic and Antarctic are more thanD.550C higher around the full moonthan at the new moon. The causeappears to be a strong transfer of[teat in the atmosphe .re towards theal pull of a full moon changingftd patterns. The study suggestsit the polar regions are likely to bewe sensitive to global warming.evious studies had revealed a.all fluctuation of around 0.02'CLnciding with the monthly lunarAe. With this study researchersve got further evidence that thetar regions are likely to be moreisitive to global warming.mate models consistently predictit warming will occur three timesfast in the Arctic and Antarctic asthe tropics. The findings are significant but Shaffer admits thatRation from the moon may inne way have affected the satellite;trumentation (New Scientist,1154, No 2080).