text: Antarctica has experienced its highest temperature on record, according to meteorologists. Sensors at Argentina's Esperanza Base on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula recorded a temperature of 17.5°C (63.5°F). According to meteorologists this is potentially a new record for the warmest temperature measured on the frozen continent. The new temperature record was measured on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (pictured) where the ice shelf covering the sea has declined considerably in recent years and glaciers are thought to be receding . Over a two day period last week temperatures reached 17.4°C (63.3°F) and 17.5°C (63.5°F). However, the heatwave on the coldest continent on Earth has still to be officially certified by the World Meteorological Organisation. Antarctica's icy edge is disappearing in warming ocean waters, with the last decade seeing the rate of ice loss increase dramatically. This is according to a new study that has combined 18-years worth of ice shelf thinning data from three different sets of satellites. The researchers claim that some ice shelves in West Antarctica have lost as much as 18 per cent of their volume in the last ten years. Satellite data from 1994 to . 2012 clearly shows the accelerating decline which could hasten the rise in global sea levels, . scientists say. The findings come amid concern among many scientists about the effects of . global climate change on Earth's vast, remote polar regions. The previous hottest temperature recorded in Antarctica - which is usually the coldest place on Earth - was in April 24 1961 when the temperature reached 17.1°C (62.8°F). Writing for website Weather Underground, meteorologist Dr Jeff Masters said: 'A new all-time temperature record for an entire continent is a rare event. 'This week's record temperatures were made possible by an unusually extreme jet stream contortion that brought a strong ridge of high pressure over the Antarctic Peninsula, allowing warm air from South America to push southwards over Antarctica. 'At the surface, west to east blowing winds over the Antarctic Peninsula rose up over the 1,000-foot high mountains just to the west of Esperanza Base, then descended and warmed via adiabatic compression (without transfer of heat) into a warm foehn wind (a warm dry wind that blows down a slope).' Antarctica is known as the coldest place on Earth where temperatures have dropped to -93.2°C (-135.8°F) on the East Antarctic Plateau. The graphic above shows rates of thickness change around the Antarctic coastline with areas of most loss in the past 18 years indicated by red circles and areas where ice has increased shown by blue circles . However, the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming spots on Earth. While most of the continent has experienced an increase in ice sheet mass, nearly 10,000 square miles of ice has been lost from the ice shelves off coast of the Peninsula. Glaciers extending out from the fjords of the Antarctic Peninsula have also been retreating, according to researchers. Climate scientists have blamed the changes happening there on human-generated global warming. The collapse of the Larson B shelf (shown above) on the Antarctic Peninsula is one example of the changes that have been taking place on the continent in recent years and have caused concern among some scientists . Marine sediment cores suggest the changes happening in the area are unprecedented at least in the past 10,000 years. Dr Masters said last week's heatwave matched a trend occurring around the world. He said that in 2015 five nations or territories have now set all time records or matched their records for hottest temperatures in history. He added that 46 nations or territories, out of 235, have set or tied all time heat records since 2010. However, despite the new record temperature, climate scientists are urging caution about drawing conclusions from it. This graphic shows how warm water from the ocean may be increasing the flow of glaciers from the Antarctic ice sheet as they cause melting from below while fresh snow accumulates on top of the ice sheet . Gavin Schmidt, a climate scientist with Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, told National Geographic that last year Antarctica also logged a record cold temperature. He said that long term climate changes in Antarctica are complex and still have not been complained properly. The new record will also depend on what scientists regard as being Antarctica. Currently the World Meteorological Society records the warmest temperature on the continent as being at Vanda Station on the opposite side Antarctica on 1 May 1974 when temperatures reached 15°C (59°F).
target: Temperatures at Esperanza Base on Antarctic Peninsula reached 63.5°F .
  Area was hit by two day heatwave that beat previous temperature records .
  Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming areas on the continent .