The United Nations has recognised a new heat record on Antarctica, with a reading of 18.3c now confirmed to be the highest temperature on the continent.

The reading was taken in February of last year at Argentina's Esperanza research station on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Petteri Taalas, secretary general of the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) told AFP: "Verification of this maximum temperature record is important because it helps us to build up a picture of the weather and climate in one of Earth's final frontiers.

"The Antarctic Peninsula is among the fastest-warming regions of the planet - almost 3C over the last 50 years.

"This new temperature record is therefore consistent with the climate change we are observing,” Mr Taalas said.

The previous record for Antarctica was 17.5C. recorded at Esperanza on March 24, 2015.

The WMO rejected a reading of 20.7c reported on February 9, 2020, at a Brazilian permafrost monitoring station on the nearby Seymour Island.

The record for the wider Antarctic region is 19.8c, recorded on Signy Island on January 30, 1982.

"Even more so than the Arctic, the Antarctic is poorly covered in terms of continuous and sustained weather and climate observations and forecasts, even though both play an important role in driving climate and ocean patterns and in sea level rise," said Taalas.

"This new record shows once again that climate change requires urgent measures," WMO vice president Celeste Saulo said.

"It is essential to continue strengthening the observing, forecasting and early warning systems to respond to the extreme events that take place more and more often due to global warming."