Antarctica is colder than the Arctic for three reasons. First, much of the continent is more than above sea level, and temperature decreases with elevation in the troposphere. Second, the Arctic Ocean covers the north polar zone: the ocean's relative warmth is transferred through the icepack and prevents temperatures in the Arctic regions from reaching the extremes typical of the land surface of Antarctica. Third, the Earth is at aphelion in July (i.e., the Earth is farthest from the Sun in the Antarctic winter), and the Earth is at perihelion in January (i.e., the Earth is closest to the Sun in the Antarctic summer).
Climate
Antarctica
Antarctica | Climate
It is the coldest of Earth's continents. It is the coldest of Earth's continents. It is a frozen desert with little precipitation. Antarctica is the coldest of Earth's continents.
who makes up most of the population of antarctica
user
5,000 in the summer and much lesser in winter
assistant
where did it get the name from?
user
It is the romanised version of the Greek compound word "antarktiké" meaning "opposite to the Arctic", "opposite to the north"
assistant
what kinds of animals can be seen there?
user
Some species of marine animals include penguins, blue whales, orcas, colossal squids and fur seals
assistant
what sort of weather conditions it has?
user
Under the Köppen climate classification system, the station is located under a tundra climate ("ET"), very close to an ice cap climate ("EF"). The base is influenced by the cold Antarctic Circumpolar Current that runs past the Weddell Sea and the strong westerly winds, creating a colder climate than the coastal areas in the northwestern parts of the Antarctic Peninsula. Weather conditions can vary widely from year to year and day to day since low pressure systems frequently pass through the islands, which influences the climate. Mean monthly temperatures range from in June to in February. In summer, the average high is while the average low is .
Orcadas Base | Climate
The climate is maritime polar (Köppen: "ET"), being on the coast of the peninsula with very light standards than expected in Antarctica. Extreme temperatures can reach -29 °C in July, which is still quite bearable to humans protected due to considerable moderation of the sea, a rare heat wave caused the temperature to reach 19 °C, relatively high value. The climate is quite humid for its location and of a certain amount distributed, even in the driest months it has the amount of rain or snow bigger than almost all the Mediterranean zone.
Captain Arturo Prat Base | Climate
Like the coastal areas of Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic islands south of the 60º parallel, the area has a tundra climate, that could be considerably borderline "maritime-influenced polar climate", thanks to temperatures that rarely drop below in winter (which is commonplace in most of Antarctica), and temperatures that could soar a few digits above freezing for most parts of the year. The base's area and its vicinity (the entire island, actually) experiences a rather heavy precipitation, with an average precipitation rate of yearly, which makes it unusual on the Antarctic continent, as the continent is significantly drier than the islands are to the north.
Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva | Climate
Around 98% of continental Antarctica is covered in ice up to thick. Antarctica's icy deserts have extremely low temperatures, high solar radiation, and extreme dryness. Any precipitation that does fall usually falls as snow, and is restricted to a band around from the coast. Some areas receive as little as of precipitation annually. The coldest temperature recorded on Earth was at Vostok Station on the Antarctic Plateau. Organisms that survive in Antarctica are often extremophiles. The dry interior of the continent is climatically different from the western Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic islands. The Peninsula and the islands are far more habitable; some areas of the peninsula can receive of precipitation a year, including rain, and the northern Peninsula is the only area on the mainland where temperatures are expected to go above in summer.
Wildlife of Antarctica | Environmental conditions
In particular, the Antarctic Peninsula experiences strong cold winds and blizzards. In the interior of the continent, the climate is colder and drier due to the higher latitude, altitude, and strong continental influences. Mean annual temperatures range from between in the Antarctic Peninsula to in the interior. Temperatures are always low in the region; during the polar night in winter, temperatures drop down to . In the warmest month, mean temperatures are usually below . Coastal areas have mean temperatures in the warmest month at around freezing. Precipitation mainly falls as snow. Due to the ice sheets and glaciers covering most of the region and the severity of the climate, the flora is sparse and limited only to coastal areas.
Argentine Antarctica | Climate
The climate of Antarctica is the coldest on Earth. The continent is also extremely dry (it is technically a desert), averaging of precipitation per year. Snow rarely melts on most parts of the continent, and, after being compressed, becomes the glacier ice that makes up the ice sheet. Weather fronts rarely penetrate far into the continent, because of the katabatic winds. Most of Antarctica has an ice-cap climate (Köppen classification "EF") with very cold, generally extremely dry weather.
Climate of Antarctica | Introduction
The climate of the base is classified as marine subantarctic. The climate is strongly influenced by the surrounding Pacific Ocean, moderating winter and summer temperatures. Thus, winter temperatures rarely fall below owing to the warmer waters while in summer, the cool waters and snow cover causes temperatures to rarely reach above . The mean annual temperature is although within the last decade, temperatures have risen with much of it in winter and autumn. Being located in the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, the climate is dominated by the low pressure systems that develop over the Pacific Ocean and move eastwards towards the peninsula mountain range.
Vernadsky Research Base | Climate
This process leads to frequent precipitation and strong winds in the base. Unpredictable and short snowfalls and snowstorms occur often. On average, the base receives 300 days with snow per year. Anticyclone weather patterns caused by high pressure systems in the interior of Antarctica or from the north are rare. In the cases that they occur, when the weather is influenced by the high pressure system from the interior of the continent, cold air masses from the south moves northwards. This can occasionally lead to foggy conditions and hoarfrost.
Vernadsky Research Base | Climate
In spite of its relatively low latitude, Marambio Station is situated in an ice cap climate, albeit much less severe than in Antarctica's interior. Nonetheless, the climate is severe with mean temperatures that rarely rise above and the presence of strong winds. The strong winds produce a wind chill that makes the temperatures feel colder. In particular, gusts up to can occur during the winter months. Due to the partial melting of snow in summer due to above freezing daytime temperatures, animals as well as limited plant life (moss, lichens, and worts) are able to thrive during the warmer months of December, January, and February.
Marambio Base | Climate
The air in Antarctica is also very dry. The low temperatures result in a very low absolute humidity, which means that dry skin and cracked lips are a continual problem for scientists and expeditioners working on the continent.
Climate of Antarctica | Precipitation
The weather in Antarctica can be highly variable, and the weather conditions can often change dramatically in short periods of time. There are various classifications for describing weather conditions in Antarctica; restrictions given to workers during the different conditions vary by station and nation.
Climate of Antarctica | Weather condition classification
Like the rest of the Antarctic Peninsula, the base has a polar climate characterized by strong winds that descend downwards from the Antarctic ice sheet. These winds can exceed , leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility. The climate is classified as a polar tundra (ET) climate in the Köppen system. Mean monthly temperatures range from in July, the coldest month, to in January, the warmest month. During summer (December–February), the average high is between while the average low is between . In winter, mean temperatures are around . A temperature of was recorded on 24 March 2015. This reading was the highest temperature ever recorded on mainland Antarctica and its surrounding islands, until on 6 February 2020, a new high of was recorded at the base, being the current record.
Esperanza Base | Climate
East Antarctica is colder than its western counterpart because of its higher elevation. Weather fronts rarely penetrate far into the continent, leaving the centre cold and dry. Despite the lack of precipitation over the central portion of the continent, ice there lasts for extended periods. Heavy snowfalls are common on the coastal portion of the continent, where snowfalls of up to in 48 hours have been recorded. At the edge of the continent, strong katabatic winds off the polar plateau often blow at storm force. In the interior, wind speeds are typically moderate. During clear days in summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than at the equator because of the 24 hours of sunlight each day at the Pole.
Antarctica | Climate
The climate of the region ranges from a subpolar climate in the north to a polar climate in the south. The region has an extremely cold climate with mean temperatures below with frost and snowfall occurring throughout the year. In general, there are two different climatic zones found within the region: a glacial climate in the interior and an oceanic one in the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands. The glacial climate found in the interior is dominated by continental ice sheets and glaciers while in the Antarctic Peninsula and its adjacent islands, the climate is characterized by very strong winds, particularly in winter.
Argentine Antarctica | Climate
The subantarctic islands have a milder temperature and more water, and so are more conducive to life. The surface temperature of the Southern Ocean varies very little, ranging from to . During the summer sea ice covers of ocean. The continental shelf surrounding the mainland is from wide. The depth of the seafloor in this area ranges from , with an average of . After the shelf, the continental slope descends to abyssal plains at deep. In all these areas, 90% of the seafloor is made up of soft sediments, such as sand, mud, and gravel.
Wildlife of Antarctica | Environmental conditions
Antarctica is a frozen desert with little precipitation; the South Pole receives less than per year, on average. Temperatures reach a minimum of between and in the interior in winter and reach a maximum of between and near the coast in summer. Northern Antarctica recorded a temperature of on 9 February 2020, the highest recorded temperature in the continent. Sunburn is often a health issue as the snow surface reflects almost all of the ultraviolet light falling on it. Given the latitude, long periods of constant darkness or constant sunlight create climates unfamiliar to human beings in much of the rest of the world.
Antarctica | Climate
During the time in which "Imperobator" lived, Earth's climate was much warmer and humid than it is today and as a result Antarctica was without ice. The environment was mainly dominated by large dense conifer forests, cycads and gingkos. Despite the warmer climate, the animals inhabiting Antarctica at this time would have to endure long periods of darkness during the winter, much like what happens in modern-day Antarctica. Currently a plethora of other extinct organisms from the Snow Hill Island Formation have been discovered, which are likely to have interacted with "Imperobator" during the Late Cretaceous period. This includes the ornithopods "Trinisaura santamartaensis" and "Morrosaurus antarcticus", the nodosaurid "Antarctopelta oliveroi", the shark "Notidanodon" sp.
Imperobator | Paleoecology
Humidity is low and it is also very dry, with very little precipitation throughout the year. Dome C does not experience the katabatic winds typical for the coastal regions of Antarctica because of its elevated location and its relative distance from the edges of the Antarctic Plateau. Typical wind speed in winter is 2.8 m/s.
Concordia Station | Climate
The Antarctic Peninsula and its nearby islands are considered to have the mildest living conditions in Antarctica. The island's climate is strongly influenced by the surrounding ocean. Under the Köppen system, it is one of the few locations in Antarctica classified as a tundra climate rather than an ice cap climate. Variation in temperatures are small with the coldest month, July averaging and in the warmest month. With only 591.3 hours of sunshine per year, the weather is often unsettled and cloudy throughout the year with precipitation in the form of snow, rain and drizzle occurring often. On average, 729 mm of precipitation falls per year.
King George Island (South Shetland Islands) | Climate
The climate of Antarctica is the coldest on Earth. Antarctica has the lowest naturally occurring temperature ever recorded: at Vostok Station. It is also extremely dry (technically a desert), averaging of precipitation per year, as weather fronts rarely penetrate far into the continent.
Polar climate | Antarctica
Most of Antarctica is a polar desert, with annual precipitation of along the coast and far less inland; there has been no rain there for almost 2 million years, yet 80% of the world freshwater reserves are stored there, enough to raise global sea levels by about if all of it were to melt. The temperature in Antarctica has reached −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) (or even −94.7 °C (−135.8 °F) as measured from space), though the average for the third quarter (the coldest part of the year) is −63 °C (−81 °F). Anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at research stations scattered across the continent.
Antarctica | Introduction
The wildlife of Antarctica are extremophiles, having to adapt to the dryness, low temperatures, and high exposure common in Antarctica. The extreme weather of the interior contrasts to the relatively mild conditions on the Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic islands, which have warmer temperatures and more liquid water. Much of the ocean around the mainland is covered by sea ice. The oceans themselves are a more stable environment for life, both in the water column and on the seabed. There is relatively little diversity in Antarctica compared to much of the rest of the world. Terrestrial life is concentrated in areas near the coast.
Wildlife of Antarctica | Introduction
Antarctica is colder than the Arctic for three reasons. First, much of the continent is more than above sea level, and temperature decreases with elevation in the troposphere. Second, the Arctic Ocean covers the north polar zone: the ocean's relative warmth is transferred through the icepack and prevents temperatures in the Arctic regions from reaching the extremes typical of the land surface of Antarctica. Third, the Earth is at aphelion in July (i.e., the Earth is farthest from the Sun in the Antarctic winter), and the Earth is at perihelion in January (i.e., the Earth is closest to the Sun in the Antarctic summer).
Antarctica | Climate
Dome C is one of the coldest places on Earth. Temperatures hardly rise above in summer and can fall below in winter. The annual average air temperature is . Humidity is low and it is also very dry, with very little or no precipitation throughout the year. Dome C does not experience the katabatic winds typical of the coastal regions of Antarctica because of its elevated location and its relative distance from the edges of the Antarctic Plateau. Typical wind speed in winter is 2.8 m/s (6 mph). Dome C is situated on top of the Antarctic Polar Plateau, the world's largest frozen desert ever.
Dome C | Environment
A polar ice cap climate with evenly-distributed precipitation (Köppen "EFf") prevails at Scott Base. The base has fairly typical weather conditions for coastal Antarctica, with minimum temperatures around and summer maximum only occasionally above freezing point. It is exposed to the full strength of southerly blizzards, although overall it is less windy than McMurdo Station. The maximum wind velocities experienced have been gusts up to with steady velocities under blizzard conditions of . The highest recorded temperature was , the coolest and the mean temperature . Scott Base 50th Anniversary Website
Scott Base | Climate
The climate is classified as an Ice cap climate (Köppen: EF), since there are no months where the average temperature exceeds .
Showa Station (Antarctica) | Climate
Biologists, in addition to examining the wildlife, are interested in how harsh temperatures and the presence of people affect adaptation and survival strategies in a wide variety of organisms. Medical physicians have made discoveries concerning the spreading of viruses and the body's response to extreme seasonal temperatures. Astrophysicists at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station study the celestial dome and cosmic microwave background radiation. Many astronomical observations are better made from the interior of Antarctica than from most surface locations because of the high elevation, which results in a thin atmosphere; low temperature, which minimises the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere; and absence of light pollution, thus allowing for a view of space clearer than anywhere else on Earth.
Antarctica | Research
The average temperature varies from −19 °C in the coldest months (July–August), to around 0 °C in January.
Molodyozhnaya Station (Antarctica) | Climate
Although most of the continent is covered by glacial ice sheets, ice-free areas comprising approximately 0.4% of the continental land mass are discontinuously distributed around the coastal margins. The McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica is a polar desert characterized by extremely low annual precipitation and an absence of vascular plants and vertebrates; microbial activity dominates biological functioning. Mean summer high and winter low temperatures in the dry valleys are Because precipitation is both infrequent and low, seasonal water availability in hydrologically connected soils make areas adjacent to water bodies more hospitable relative to dry upland soils. Polar ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change, where small changes in temperature result in greater changes in local hydrology, dramatically affecting ecosystem processes.
Antarctic microorganism | Climate and habitat
The continent of Antarctica is centered on the South Pole. Antarctica is surrounded on all sides by the Southern Ocean. As a result, high-speed winds circle around Antarctica, preventing warmer air from temperate zones from reaching the continent. While Antarctica does have some small areas of tundra on the northern fringes, the vast majority of the continent is extremely cold and permanently frozen. Because it is climatically isolated from the rest of the Earth, the continent has extreme cold not seen anywhere else, and weather systems rarely penetrate into the continent.
Ice cap climate | Extreme southern latitudes
The average temperature of the region is contentious, with estimates ranging from -6 to well over 5 °C (21 to 37 °F). Conditions were likely to be at their coldest during the polar nights, which lasted up to three months. One interpretation of the fossil material is that small ornithopods had adaptations to survive cooler conditions. Bone growth of presumed related taxa shows they were active all year round, so they did not hibernate through the winter. The structure of these bones also suggests warm-bloodedness, which would help maintain its body heat.
Qantassaurus | Description
Some of the effects could be due to natural variability, he added. The British Antarctic Survey, which has undertaken the majority of Britain's scientific research in the area, stated in 2009: The area of strongest cooling appears at the South Pole, and the region of strongest warming lies along the Antarctic Peninsula. A possible explanation is that loss of UV-absorbing ozone may have cooled the stratosphere and strengthened the polar vortex, a pattern of spinning winds around the South Pole. The vortex acts like an atmospheric barrier, preventing warmer, coastal air from moving into the continent's interior. A stronger polar vortex might explain the cooling trend in the interior of Antarctica.
Climate of Antarctica | Global warming
Vegetation period is approximately 100 days long. Winter here lasts from late September to early October to June; minimum temperatures often fall below -35 – -45 °C, and wind speed in winter often exceeds 50 m/s. Polar day lasts from the late June to early August, median temperature in July is 12 °C, often up to 30 °C. Permafrost in summer thaws 0.3 – 2 metres deep. Thickness of permafrost here is approximately 200 metres.
Ary-Mas | Climate
Between about 68° S and 63° S on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula and along its northeast coast, precipitation is or less with occasional rain. Along the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula south of 63° S, precipitation ranges from . In comparison, the subantarctic islands have precipitation of per year and the dry interior of Antarctica is a virtual desert with only precipitation per year.
Antarctic Peninsula | Climate
Because the Antarctic Peninsula, which reaches north of the Antarctic Circle, is the most northerly part of Antarctica, it has the mildest climates within this continent. Its temperatures are warmest in January, averaging , and coldest in June, averages from . Its west coast from the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula south to 68° S, which has a maritime Antarctic climate, is the mildest part of the Antarctic Peninsula. Within this part of the Antarctic Peninsula, temperatures exceed for 3 or 4 months during the summer, and rarely fall below during the winter. Farther south along the west coast and the northeast coast of the peninsula, mean monthly temperatures exceed for only one or two months of summer and average around in winter.
Antarctic Peninsula | Climate
Mirny Station has an ice cap climate, since all months are below . Although, it is heavily influenced by the glacial nature of Antarctica's interior, it retains a strong maritime influence, resulting in high annual snowfall. Summers however, are sunny and dry, reflecting a mediterranean precipitation pattern, in spite of its poleward latitude and cold temperatures. Summer see highs approaching on average, whereas winters are stable just below means for several months.
Mirny Station | Climate
The climate is ice cap (Köppen: "ET"), as is most of the continent. Without marine moderation and a few hundred meters above sea level, it has one of the harshest winters on the continent outside the Antarctic plateaus. Unlike Alert, NU at slightly higher latitude and positive high averages during summer, in Siple Dome temperatures remain below freezing during the afternoon of the warmer months on average.
Siple Dome | Climate
The Antarctic Peninsula and its nearby islands are considered to have the mildest living conditions in Antarctica. Bellingshausen Station's climate is strongly influenced by the surrounding ocean. Under the Köppen system, it is one of the few locations in Antarctica classified as a tundra climate rather than an ice cap climate. Variation in temperatures are small with the coldest month, July averaging and in the warmest month. With only 591.3 hours of sunshine per year, the weather is often unsettled and cloudy throughout the year with precipitation in the form of snow, rain and drizzle occurring often. On average, 729 mm of precipitation falls per year.
Bellingshausen Station | Climate
It is not so fearfully cold, 28deg. Fahr., but always snowing or overcast. We only have had one day's really fine weather since December 29, but that was gorgeous. We are now somewhere — we don't know quite where, as we have not had an observation for days, but we are close on some land, if we could only see it.
Herbert Dyce Murphy | Australasian Antarctic Expedition
Although Antarctica in the Cretaceous was in the southern polar region, the Earth had a much warmer climate during this time period, and the continent would have been ice-free. Animals like "Antarctopelta oliveroi" would have lived in forests of conifers and even deciduous trees. Despite the higher temperatures, darkness would still have descended for the winter, just as it does today at high latitudes. The Antarctic Peninsula, including James Ross Island, was connected to South America throughout this time period, allowing interchange of fauna between both continents. However, no evidence has yet been found to support a common ankylosaur fauna between Antarctica and South America.
Antarctopelta | Paleoecology
The area has a cold and dry climate being located in a desert. The annual mean temperature is , with the summer temperature able to reach about and the lowest during the winter at . Storms, which can occur throughout the year, can occasionally make outdoor activity impossible. Being located south of the Antarctic Circle, Troll has midnight sun in the summer and polar night during the winter.
Jutulsessen | Geography
Antarctica is the coldest of Earth's continents. It used to be ice-free until about 34 million years ago, when it became covered with ice. The lowest natural air temperature ever recorded on Earth was at the Russian Vostok Station in Antarctica on 21 July 1983. For comparison, this is 10.7 °C (20 °F) colder than subliming dry ice at one atmosphere of partial pressure, but since CO only makes up 0.039% of air, temperatures of less than would be needed to produce dry ice snow in Antarctica. A lower air temperature of was recorded in 2010 by satellite—however, it may be influenced by ground temperatures and was not recorded at a height of above the surface as required for the official air temperature records.
Antarctica | Climate
In winter, this relatively warm water, even though covered by the polar ice pack, keeps the North Pole from being the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is also part of the reason that Antarctica is so much colder than the Arctic. In summer, the presence of the nearby water keeps coastal areas from warming as much as they might otherwise, just as it does in temperate regions with maritime climates.
Polar climate | Arctic
Occasionally, cold air masses from Antarctica are not moderated by the ocean, resulting in very cold temperatures. During summer, the temperature gradient is greater than in the winter. The northern parts of the province, have a mean temperature greater than in the warmest months while in the southern parts, the mean temperature in the warmest month ranges from owing to the influence of subtropical air from the north. The westernmost parts of the province are the coolest during the summer, averaging only . The central parts of the province have the most extreme temperatures which can reach over during the summer and below in the winter.
Chubut Province | Temperature
The east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula south of 63° S is generally much colder, with mean temperatures exceeding for at most one month of summer, and winter mean temperatures ranging from . The colder temperatures of the southeast, Weddell Sea side, of the Antarctic Peninsula are reflected in the persistence of ice shelves that cling to the eastern side. Precipitation varies greatly within the Antarctic Peninsula. From the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula to 68° S, precipitation averages per year. A good portion of this precipitation falls as rain during the summer, on two-thirds of the days of the year, and with little seasonal variation in amounts.
Antarctic Peninsula | Climate
Typical of inland Antarctica, Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station experiences an ice cap climate ("EF") with BWk precipitation patterns. The peak season of summer lasts October to mid February.
Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station | Climate
The climate of the Nordenskjöld Coast is an ice cap climate, which means that all 12 months of the year average a temperature below 0 °C. Along the Antarctic Peninsula over the past 50 years the mean temperature has increased by 3.4 degrees Celsius and the mid winter temperature by 6 degrees. This makes the Antarctic region one of the global hotspots for climate change. Due to the steep mountains that line the Antarctic Peninsula, the south-west winds are cold and strong. First noted in the Swedish Expedition in 1902, Otto Nordenskjöld found that these winds are present along the entire coast of the Peninsula.
Nordenskjöld Coast | Climate and climate change
Polar climates are cold, windy and dry. Because of the lack of precipitation and low temperatures the Arctic and Antarctic are considered the world's largest deserts or Polar deserts. Much of the radiation from the sun that is received is reflected off the snow making the polar regions cold. When the radiation is reflected, the heat is also reflected. The polar regions reflect 89-90% of the sun radiation that the earth receives. And because Antarctica is closer to the sun at perihelion, it receives 7% more radiation than the Arctic. Also in the polar region, the atmosphere is thin. Because of this the UV radiation that gets to the atmosphere can cause fast sun tanning and snow blindness.
Polar ecology | Climate
Nearly all of Antarctica is covered by a sheet of ice that is, on average, a mile thick or more (1.6 km). Antarctica contains 90% of the world's ice and more than 70% of its fresh water. If all the land-ice covering Antarctica were to melt — around of ice — the seas would rise by over . This is, however, very unlikely within the next few centuries. The Antarctic is so cold that even with increases of a few degrees, temperatures would generally remain below the melting point of ice. Higher temperatures are expected to lead to more precipitation, which takes the form of snow.
Climate of Antarctica | Ice cover
Malargüe's climate is dry and relatively cold. It is a semi-arid climate under the Köppen climate classification. Summers bring warm days (the average high is 28 °C, or 82F) and cool to cold nights (11 °C, or 53F), with sporadic thunderstorms occurring. By March or early April, frost is to be expected, and during the winter (May to September), wild fluctuations of temperature can occur: the average high is 11 °C (53F) and the average low is -2 °C (28F), but northwesterly winds that blow downslope from the Andes can bring temperatures of 25 °C (77F), and extreme Antarctic outbreaks will bring periods of snow, daytime highs well below 0 °C (32F) and night lows well below -12 °C (10F).
Malargüe | Climate
The largest of these, the blue whale ("Balaenoptera musculus"), grows to long weighing 84 tonnes. Many of these species are migratory, and travel to tropical waters during the Antarctic winter. Orcas, which do not migrate, nonetheless regularly travel to warmer waters, possibly to relieve the stress the temperature has on their skin.
Wildlife of Antarctica | Mammals
The island has a cold and humid climate and is characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes in the weather from day to day. Under the Köppen climate classification, despite the vegetation, it would be classified as a mild tundra climate ("ET"), a cold climate with a mean temperature in the warmest month below with abundant precipitation year-round. The climate of the island is strongly influenced by the subpolar low pressure system which develops around the Antarctic Circle and the surrounding oceans. Being located between the semi–permanent high pressure cell and the subpolar low (which does not change in intensity through the year and have little seasonal variation), the island is exposed to westerlies throughout the year.
Isla de los Estados | Climate
The temperature varies from to during summer with a maximum of ; however, the dominant temperature during most of the year is below . During winter, the temperature falls to as low as .
Lake Burton (Antarctica) | Geography and climate
The annual mean temperature in the area is 26 °C, with a range between 10° and 38 °C. The lower temperatures are caused by cold winds of antarctic origin; these cold waves occur in June and July. The rainy season occurs between December and March.
Tambopata National Reserve | Climate
The weather in Antarctica can be highly variable, and weather conditions will oftentimes change dramatically in a short period of time. Weather conditions on the continent are classified in a number of ways, and restrictions placed upon workers and other staffs vary both by stations and by nations
Antarctica Weather Danger Classification | Introduction
The altitude of the location is . Satellite measurements have identified even lower ground temperatures, with having been observed at the cloud-free East Antarctic Plateau on 10 August 2010.
Climate of Antarctica | Temperature
Climate change is a natural phenomenon that influences life in polar areas. There is observational evidence that the Antarctica climate is a bellwether for climate change in the northern hemisphere, leading by about 1000 years. The study of Antarctic ice, its distribution, changes in ice volume, and other indicators of the continental climate in Antarctica are at an early stage of development and even earlier stage of understanding. Techniques for studying the terrain beneath the ice are just being explored. Lake Vostok, buried under miles of ice, has not been penetrated to date. There is evidence that it has been out of contact with the atmosphere for millions of years, making it a possible treasure trove of information.
Polar seas | Antarctic
The Andean and Fuegan mountains intercept moisture-laden westerly winds, creating temperate rain forest conditions, while the cold oceanic Humboldt Current, which runs up the west coast of South America, and the cold Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which runs from west to east through the Southern Ocean, keep the Magellanic ecoregion cool and wet, and the strong oceanic influence moderates seasonal temperature extremes. Average annual temperatures vary from in the north to in the south and annual rainfall from in the west to in the east. Snowfalls can occur even in summer. Fog is very frequent. Very strong winds whip the region and these compel trees to grow in twisted and bent shapes fighting against the wind; and people call them "flag trees".
Magellanic subpolar forests | Climate
Ice cap climates are not nearly as common on land in the extreme northern latitudes as in Antarctica. This is because the Arctic Ocean moderates the temperatures of the surrounding land, making the extreme cold seen in Antarctica impossible. In fact, the coldest winters in the northern hemisphere are in subarctic climates in Siberia, such as Verkhoyansk, which are much farther inland and lack the ocean's moderating effect. This same lack of moderating oceanic effect, coupled with the extreme continentality of the Russian interior allows for very warm summers in the same areas that experience harsh winters.
Ice cap climate | Extreme northern latitudes
Owing to its location on the Antarctic plateau and the high elevation, Dome Fuji is one of the coldest places on Earth. Temperatures rarely rise above -30 °C in summer and can drop to -80 °C in winter. The annual average air temperature is -54.3 °C. The climate is that of a cold desert, with very dry conditions and an annual precipitation of about 25 millimeters of water equivalent, which falls entirely as ice crystals.
Dome F | Environment
Average global temperatures were around 30 °C (86 °F), which is about 15 °C (27 °F) warmer than present. This was only the second time that Earth reached this level of warmth since the Precambrian. The other time was during the Cambrian Period, which ran from 541 million years ago to 485.4 million years ago. During the early Eocene, Australia and South America were connected to Antarctica.
Late Cenozoic Ice Age | The climate before the polar ice caps
The Antarctic Oscillation, also known as the Southern Hemisphere Annular Mode is the main factor in tropospheric circulation variability south of 20S and is characterized by pressure anomalies with one situated in the Antarctic and one situated in a band at around 40–50S around the globe. It mainly affects middle and high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. It is characterized by the north–south displacement of the westerly wind belt that circle around Antarctica. Such variation in the position of the westerly wind belt affects the intensity and position of cold fronts and mid latitude storm systems and is partly responsible for variation in precipitation in the southern parts of Argentina.
Climate of Argentina | Antarctic Oscillation
The Antarctic vortex of the Southern Hemisphere is a single low-pressure zone that is found near the edge of the Ross ice shelf, near 160 west longitude. When the polar vortex is strong, the mid-latitude Westerlies (winds at the surface level between 30° and 60° latitude from the west) increase in strength and are persistent. When the polar vortex is weak, high-pressure zones of the mid-latitudes may push poleward, moving the polar vortex, jet stream, and polar front equatorward. The jet stream is seen to "buckle" and deviate south. This rapidly brings cold dry air into contact with the warm, moist air of the mid-latitudes, resulting in a rapid and dramatic change of weather known as a "cold snap".
Polar vortex | Southern hemisphere
The continent-wide average surface temperature trend of Antarctica is positive – that is, the temperature is increasing – and significant at more than per decade since 1957. The West Antarctic ice sheet has warmed by more than per decade in the last 50 years, and is strongest in winter and spring. Although this is partly offset by fall cooling in East Antarctica, this effect is restricted to the 1980s and 1990s. Research published in 2009 found that overall the continent had become warmer since the 1950s, a finding consistent with the influence of man-made climate change. "We can't pin it down, but it certainly is consistent with the influence of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels", said NASA scientist Drew Shindell, one of the study's authors.
Climate of Antarctica | Global warming
Australia drifted away from Antarctica forming the Tasmanian Passage, and South America drifted away from Antarctica forming the Drake Passage. This caused the formation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, a current of cold water surrounding Antarctica. This current still exists today, and is a major reason for why Antarctica has such an exceptionally cold climate. The Eocene-Oligocene Boundary 33.9 million years ago was the transition from the last greenhouse period to the present icehouse climate. At this point CO levels had dropped to 750 ppm. This was the beginning of the Late Cenozoic Ice Age. This was when the ice sheets reached the ocean, the defining point.
Late Cenozoic Ice Age | Glaciation of the southern hemisphere
Southernmost South America (Tierra del Fuego where it abuts the Drake Passage) and such subantarctic islands such as the South Shetland Islands and the Falkland Islands have tundra climates of slight thermal range in which no month is as warm as . These subantarctic lowlands are found closer to the equator than the coastal tundras of the Arctic basin.
Polar climate | Locations
An ice cap climate is a polar climate where no mean monthly temperature exceeds . The climate covers areas in or near the high latitudes (65° latitude) to polar regions (70–90° north and south latitude), such as Antarctica and Greenland, that have vast deserts of snow and ice. In the coldest months, most ice cap climates have mean temperatures between −30 and −55 °C (–22 to –67 °F). Ice cap climates are normally covered by a permanent layer of ice and have no vegetation. There is limited animal life in most ice cap climates, usually found near the oceanic margins.
Ice cap climate | Introduction
Polar and deep-sea gigantism, where invertebrates are considerably larger than their warmer-water relatives, is common in this habitat. These two similar types of gigantism are believed to be related to the cold water, which can contain high levels of oxygen, combined with the low metabolic rates ("slow life") of animals living in such cold environments.
Wildlife of Antarctica | Animals
Being located just South of the Antarctic Circle, the weather is cold year round. Temperatures in summer barely go over freezing.
Rothera Research Station | Climate
The flightlessness of "B. antarctica" may be an adaptation to prevent wind from blowing it into inhospitable areas. It can survive freezing, but though local air temperatures may reach as low as −40 °C, this insect cannot survive temperatures below −15 °C. This is comparatively milder than other cold-adapted insects. The reason for this relatively low freezing tolerance is due to thermal buffering: just burrowing at a depth of 1 cm, temperature is stable between 0 and −2 °C for 10 months out of 12, and it seldom goes lower than −7 °C all year round. Ice and snow cover also helps keeping the temperature stable.
Belgica antarctica | Tolerance to extreme conditions
The coasts of the peninsula have the mildest climate in Antarctica and moss and lichen-covered rocks are free of snow during the summer months, although the weather is still intensely cold and the growing season very short. The plant life today is mainly mosses, lichens and algae adapted to this harsh environment, with lichens preferring the wetter areas of the rocky landscape. The most common lichens are "Usnea" and "Bryoria" species. Antarctica's two flowering plant species, the Antarctic hair grass ("Deschampsia antarctica") and Antarctic pearlwort ("Colobanthus quitensis") are found on the northern and western parts of the Antarctic Peninsula, including offshore islands, where the climate is relatively mild.
Antarctic Peninsula | Flora and fauna
The British Antarctic Survey, which has undertaken the majority of Britain's scientific research in the area, had the following positions in 2006: The area of strongest cooling appears at the South Pole, and the region of strongest warming lies along the Antarctic Peninsula. A possible explanation is that loss of UV-absorbing ozone may have cooled the stratosphere and strengthened the polar vortex, a pattern of spinning winds around the South Pole. The vortex acts like an atmospheric barrier, preventing warmer, coastal air from moving into the continent's interior. A stronger polar vortex might explain the cooling trend in the interior of Antarctica.
Climate change in Antarctica | 2000s
The local variety of the Antarctic Peninsula weather is particularly changeable, windy, humid and sunless. Says Australian mountaineer Damien Gildea who climbed in the area: ‘Livingston got just about the worst weather in the world’. A US seasonal field camp on Byers Peninsula was wrecked by storm and emergency evacuated in February 2009. Whiteouts are common, and blizzards can occur at any time of the year. Temperatures are rather constant, with diurnal temperature variations seldom exceeding a few degrees. Wind chill temperatures could be up to lower than actual ones. The highest daily temperature recorded on the island is (measured at the Chilean Base), and the lowest is (at the Spanish base).
Livingston Island | Climate
During the southern winter (March–September), the South Pole receives no sunlight at all, and from May 11 to August 1, between extended periods of twilight, it is completely dark (apart from moonlight). In the summer (September–March), the sun is continuously above the horizon and appears to move in a counter-clockwise circle. However, it is always low in the sky, reaching a maximum of 23.5° in December, thanks to the 23.5° tilt of the earth's axis. Much of the sunlight that does reach the surface is reflected by the white snow. This lack of warmth from the sun, combined with the high altitude (about ), means that the South Pole has one of the coldest climates on Earth (though it is not quite the coldest; that record goes to the region in the vicinity of the Vostok Station, also in Antarctica, which lies at a higher elevation).
South Pole | Climate and day and night
The island's vegetation consists exclusively of mosses and lichens which have adapted to the extreme Antarctic climate. The island has a very harsh climate with strong winds and freezing temperatures. The steady snowfall keeps vegetation to a minimum. The island is a breeding ground for a few seabirds, particularly southern fulmars, but also Wilson's storm petrels and Antarctic terns. Penguins, including Adélie and chinstrap penguins, visit the island infrequently. There are numerous seals, particularly crabeater seals, leopard seals and smaller numbers of southern elephant seals.
Peter I Island | Environment
Sea temperatures vary from about −2 to 10 °C (28 to 50 °F). Cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently become intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean. The ocean-area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth. In winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius. At some coastal points, however, persistent intense drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter.
Southern Ocean | Climate
A study made by a group of scientists in 2020, found that in the years 1989 - 2018 the south pole had warmed by 1.8°C, three times more than the global average. From this warming 0.8°C is due to natural cycles that can cause after similar cooling, but 1.0°C is from Climate Change.
Climate change in Antarctica | 2020s
The highest temperature ever recorded on Antarctica was at Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station on 9 February 2020, beating the previous record of at Esperanza Base, on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, on 6 February 2020. A higher temperature of recorded at Signy Research Station on 30 January 1982 was the record for the Antarctic region encompassing all land and ice south of 60° S. The lowest air temperature record, the lowest reliably measured temperature on Antarctica was set on 21 July 1983, when was observed at Vostok Station. For comparison, this is colder than subliming dry ice (at sea level pressure).
Climate of Antarctica | Temperature
This is the polar climate group, where all months must have a monthly mean air temperature of below . Polar climates have two subtypes "Ft" (tundra) and "Fi" (ice cap): In the "Ft" climate type, at least one month has an average temperature above (but not above ), so that there is a brief time when the surface might be free of snow or ice and a scrub or Tundra vegetation cover is possible. In the "Fi" climate type, all months have an average temperature below , this is the region of the vast deserts of perpetually frozen Ocean in the North Pole, and the permanent ice plateaus of Antarctica and Greenland.
Trewartha climate classification | Group F: Polar climates
Warm high-latitude climates reached a peak during the mid-Late Cretaceous Cretaceous Thermal Maximum. Plant fossils found within the Late Cretaceous (Coniacian and Santonian-early Campanian) strata of the Hidden Lake and Santa Maria formations, which outcrop within James Ross, Seymour, and adjacent islands, indicate that this emergent volcanic island arc enjoyed warm temperate or subtropical climates with adequate moisture for growth and without extended periods of below freezing winter temperatures.
Antarctic Peninsula | Climate change
The island is located south of the Antarctic Convergence, giving it a marine Antarctic climate dominated by heavy clouds and fog. It experiences a mean temperature of , with January average of and September average of . The monthly high mean temperatures fluctuate little through the year. The peak temperature of was recorded in March 1980, caused by intense sun radiation. Spot temperatures as high as have been recorded in sunny weather on rock faces. The island predominantly experiences a weak west wind. In spite of these severe climate conditions, Bouvet Island actually is located four degrees of latitude closer to the equator than the southernmost tip of Norway, which is located at 58°N.
Bouvet Island | Climate
The total precipitation on Antarctica, averaged over the entire continent, is about per year (Vaughan et al., J Climate, 1999). The actual rates vary widely, from high values over the Peninsula (15 to 25 inches a year) to very low values (as little as in the high interior (Bromwich, Reviews of Geophysics, 1988). Areas that receive less than of precipitation per year are classified as deserts. Almost all Antarctic precipitation falls as snow. Rainfall is rare and mainly occurs during the summer in coastal areas and surrounding islands. Note that the quoted precipitation is a measure of its equivalence to water, rather than being the actual depth of snow.
Climate of Antarctica | Precipitation
Cattle and sheep are prone to wind chill caused by a combination of wind and cold temperatures, when winds exceed , rendering their hair and wool coverings ineffective. Although penguins use both a layer of fat and feathers to help guard against coldness in both water and air, their flippers and feet are less immune to the cold. In the coldest climates such as Antarctica, emperor penguins use huddling behavior to survive the wind and cold, continuously alternating the members on the outside of the assembled group, which reduces heat loss by 50%. Flying insects, a subset of arthropods, are swept along by the prevailing winds, while birds follow their own course taking advantage of wind conditions, in order to either fly or glide.
Wind | Effect on animals
During winter, the average high is while the average low is . Temperatures can occasionally rise above freezing during winter. When low pressure systems pass to the south of the base, they can result in exceptionally mild temperatures, with the highest temperature recorded being in 1987. However, when this occurs, the weather is stormy and cloudy with reduced visibility. In contrast, when low pressure systems pass to the north, it results in cold and dry conditions with good visibility, causing temperatures to fall to . Fog is a frequent occurrence in the base, averaging 110 days. This can vary from year to year with 1987 being the foggiest year when there were 252 days with fog to only 30 days with fog in 1963.
Orcadas Base | Climate
The climate is cold semi-arid (Köppen: "BSk"). In a latitude over the geographic subtropics, located in a plateau and in the interior of the continent gives a cold winter but at the same time a climatic pattern often dry and with great thermal amplitude during the day. And on the other hand the summer is very hot due to the absence of cloud cover and the air dry with average in the afternoon well above 30 °C. Most of the time there is no precipitation, but a considerable amount of rain falls between July and August.
Agua Prieta | Climate
The Antarctic Oscillation is characterized by two phases: a positive and a negative phase. A positive phase is when the westerly wind belt is displaced to the south. The positive phase occurs when there is increased surface pressure over the southern parts of the South American continent and decreased pressure in Antarctica. This results in stronger westerly winds in the southern parts of the country while preventing cold fronts from penetrating inland, producing more stable conditions. Furthermore, the positive phase leads to warmer conditions south of 40S, particularly during the summer in areas between 40–60S. Precipitation is lower due to less frontal and orographic precipitation resulting from reduced westerly wind flow between 40–60S.
Climate of Argentina | Antarctic Oscillation
With all 12 months having an average temperature below 10 °C (50 °F), Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station features a tundra climate (Köppen ET). The average temperature at the station is of about -1.8 °C, however in the region of the Thiel Mountains, where the new station Criosfera 1 was built, the temperature may drop to -35 °C.
Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station | Climate
Summers are very cold with an average January temperature of . Winters are mild but wet. Macquarie Island (Australia) is located at 54°S and has no vegetation beyond snow grass and alpine grasses and mosses.
Tree line | Antarctic tree lines
A 2005 study concludes human activity is the cause of the temperature rise and resultant changing species behaviour, and links these effects with the predictions of climate models to provide validation for them. Scientists have observed that Antarctic hair grass is colonizing areas of Antarctica where previously their survival range was limited. Climate change is leading to a mismatch between the snow camouflage of arctic animals such as snowshoe hares with the increasingly snow-free landscape.
Climate change and ecosystems | Behaviour change
There is very little surface life in ice cap climates. Vegetation cannot grow on ice, and is non-existent except in the warmer fringes that occasionally peak above freezing, even then it is confined to mosses and lichen. However, the fringes of ice caps do have significant animal life. Most of this life feeds on life in the surrounding oceans. Well known examples are polar bears in the northern region and penguins in Antarctica. Antarctica has several subglacial lakes underneath its ice sheet. Scientists have theorized that there may be life forms living in these lakes. In the summer of 2011–2012, Russian scientists drilled an ice core into Lake Vostok in Antarctica, but the core has not yet been analyzed.
Ice cap climate | Life
Very little of East Antarctica is not covered with ice. The small areas that remain free of ice (Antarctic oasis), including the McMurdo Dry Valleys inland, constitute a tundra-type biodiversity region known as Maudlandia Antarctic desert, after Queen Maud Land. There are no trees or shrubs, as only very limited plant life can survive here; the flora consists of lichens, moss, and algae that are adapted to the cold and wind, and cling to rocks. The coasts are home to seabirds, penguins, and seals, which feed in the surrounding ocean, including the emperor penguin, which famously breeds in the cold, dark Antarctic winter.
East Antarctica | Flora and fauna
Changes in the average temperature of the Antarctic continent have been the subject of various measurements. The trend differs at different locations on the continent. These trends have been labelled as "contradictory" in some accounts. Observations unambiguously show the Antarctic Peninsula to be warming. Some trends elsewhere on the continent have shown cooling, while others show warming over the entire continent, but overall trends are smaller and dependent on season and the timespan over which the trend is computed. Climate models predict that temperature trends due to global warming will be much smaller in Antarctica than in the Arctic, mainly because heat uptake by the Southern Ocean acts to moderate the radiative forcing by greenhouse gases.
Antarctica cooling controversy | Background
The climate is cold, but dry, conditioned by numerous factors, such as the latitude, altitude, its proximity to the ocean and the predominant vegetation. Its winters are characterized by long cold periods, interspersed by snowfalls and ice-storms, with several weeks of below zero temperatures. The spring, by rule, is very cool, and susceptible to cold-streaks until May, when the vegetation blooms. Summer temperatures are over 35/40 °C.
Boticas | Climate
Antarctica is also home to a diversity of animal life, including penguins, seals, and whales. Several Antarctic island groups are considered part of the Antarctic realm, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands, Bouvet Island, the Crozet Islands, Prince Edward Islands, Heard Island, the Kerguelen Islands, and the McDonald Islands. These islands have a somewhat milder climate than Antarctica proper, and support a greater diversity of tundra plants, although they are all too windy and cold to support trees. Antarctic krill is the keystone species of the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean, and is an important food organism for whales, seals, leopard seals, fur seals, crabeater seals, squid, icefish, penguins, albatrosses and many other birds.
Antarctic realm | Introduction
In winter, this relatively warm water, even though covered by the polar ice pack, keeps the North Pole from being the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is also part of the reason that Antarctica is so much colder than the Arctic. In summer, the presence of the nearby water keeps coastal areas from warming as much as they might otherwise.
Climate of the Arctic | Introduction
A variety of marine animals exist and rely, directly or indirectly, on the phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean. Antarctic sea life includes penguins, blue whales, orcas, colossal squids and fur seals. The emperor penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the winter in Antarctica, while the Adélie penguin breeds farther south than any other penguin. The rockhopper penguin has distinctive feathers around the eyes, giving the appearance of elaborate eyelashes. King penguins, chinstrap penguins, and gentoo penguins also breed in the Antarctic. The Antarctic fur seal was very heavily hunted in the 18th and 19th centuries for its pelt by sealers from the United States and the United Kingdom.
Southern Ocean | Animals
Opposite conditions occur in the negative phase when the westerly wind belt is shifted equatorward. Cold fronts moving northwards from the south penetrate more frequently, leading to more precipitation and cooler temperatures during the negative phase. The major effect of negative phase of the Antarctic Oscillation occurs in spring when it increases precipitation over southeastern South America.
Climate of Argentina | Antarctic Oscillation
Trees exist on Tierra del Fuego (55°S) at the southern end of South America, but generally not on subantarctic islands and not in Antarctica. Therefore, there is no explicit Antarctic tree line. Kerguelen Island (49°S), South Georgia (54°S), and other subantarctic islands are all so heavily wind-exposed and with a too-cold summer climate (tundra) that none have any indigenous tree species. The Falkland Islands (51°S) summer temperature is near the limit, but the islands are also treeless, although some planted trees exist. Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost point in Antarctica (63°S) and has the mildest weather—it is located from Cape Horn on Tierra del Fuego—yet no trees survive there; only a few mosses, lichens, and species of grass do so.
Tree line | Antarctic tree lines
The temperatures are similar between the Arctic and Antarctic. The temperatures in the Arctic are different depending on the location. Temperatures in the Arctic have a higher range than in the Antarctic. Temperatures can range as much as . Along the coast in the Arctic temperatures average in December, January and February. The ice melts along the coast during the summer months which are around June, July and August and the temperature may rise a few degrees above freezing causing there to be some vegetation. During these same months in the northern regions, there will be 24 hours of daylight.
Polar ecology | Climate
Villa Las Estrellas has a marine polar climate (Köppen "ET") in which winter temperatures are much milder than in many well-populated wintry areas such as in Canada and Siberia. Summer temperatures however are extremely subdued; in effect narrowly above freezing, causing the climate to be hostile to human population. Sunshine levels are also extremely low. The yearly mean temperature of is still gentle for Antarctica and milder than many places with vegetation.
Villa Las Estrellas | Climate