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Surface temperature of Antarctica in winter and summer The climate of Antarctica is the coldest on earth, with the lowest temperature ever recorded on earth being -89.6 °C (-129 °F) at Vostok Station. It is also extremely dry, with an average of only 166 mm of precipitation per year; however, on most parts of the continent the snow never melts and is eventually compressed to become the glacial ice that makes up the ice sheet. Weather fronts rarely penetrate far into the continent. Download high resolution version (900x504, 27 KB)Antarctic surface temperature from ECMWF (era40) reanalyses, 1979-2001. ... Download high resolution version (900x504, 27 KB)Antarctic surface temperature from ECMWF (era40) reanalyses, 1979-2001. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Vostok, Antarctica is a Russian research station located near the Geomagnetic South Pole (see South Pole), at the center of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. ... Glacial and Glaciation redirect here. ... An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² (19,305 mile²). The only current ice sheets are Antarctic and Greenland; during the last ice age at Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the Laurentide ice sheet covered much of Canada... Contents 1 History 2 Temperature 3 Precipitation 4 Ice cover 4.1 Ice shelves 5 Climate change 6 See also 7 References 8 External links 8.1 Climate 8.2 Climate change in Antarctica 8.3 Antarctic ice [edit] History Main article: Geology of Antarctica About 200 million years ago Antarctica was joined to South America, Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand in a single large continent called Gondwana. There was no ice sheet, the climate was warm, and trees and large animals flourished. Today only geological formations, coal beds, and fossils remain as clues to Antarctica's temperate past. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Gondwanaland redirects here. ... According to the plate tectonics theory, after splitting from Gondwana, Antarctica drifted slowly to its present position over the South Pole. Its climate was much warmer before it was finally separated from South America. Around 30 million years ago, the Drake Passage opened. Persistent westerly winds began to circle Antarctica, creating the immense Antarctic Circumpolar Current that flows through the southern parts of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. This encircling system blocked heat transport, causing the Antarctic to cool. It has been covered with ice since approximately the beginning of the Pliocene, about 5 million years ago. Gondwanaland redirects here. ... For other uses, see South Pole (disambiguation). ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica. ... The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... [edit] Temperature Near the coast, December does not look cold. The lowest temperature ever recorded in nature on Earth was -89.6°C (-129°F) recorded on Thursday, July 21, 1983 at Vostok Station. The highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica was 14.6°C (58.3°F) in two places, Hope Bay and Vanda Station, on January 5, 1974. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1417x1063, 161 KB) Roux December, 2006 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1417x1063, 161 KB) Roux December, 2006 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Vostok, Antarctica is a Russian research station located near the Geomagnetic South Pole (see South Pole), at the center of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. ... Hope Bay (63º23´S 057º00´W) is 5 km (3 mi) long and 3 km (2 mi) wide, indenting the tip of Antarctic Peninsula and opening on Antarctic Sound. ... Vanda Station was a summer-only antarctic research base in the western highlands (Victoria Land) of the Ross Dependency, specifically on the shore of Lake Vanda, which is in the Wright Valley. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... A blonde haired, very skilled worker with a 70s look. ... The mean annual temperature of the interior is -57°C (-70°F). The coast is warmer. Monthly means at McMurdo Station range from -28°C (-18.4°F) in August to -3°C (26.6°F) in January. At the South Pole, a high of -14°C (7°F) has been recorded. Along the Antarctic Peninsula, temperatures as high as 15°C (59°F) have been recorded, though the summer temperature usually is around 2°C. Severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean. East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation. The Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate. Higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing. [edit] Precipitation Map of average annual precipitation (liquid equivalent, mm) on Antarctica Precipitation over Antarctica varies widely, from high values over the Peninsula (meters per year) to very low desert-like values (tens of mm per year) in the high interior. Note that the precipitation is given in water-equivalent, rather than depth of snow. Almost all Antarctic precipitation is snowfall. The total, averaged over the continent, is about 166 mm per year (Vaughan et al., J Climate, 1999). Surface mass balance of Antarctica from observations (mm/year). ... Surface mass balance of Antarctica from observations (mm/year). ... [edit] Ice cover Nearly weewee all of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet that is, on average, at least 1.6 kilometres thick. 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 30 million cubic kilometres of ice — the seas would rise by over 60 metres[1]. 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. Warmer temperatures are expected to lead to more snow, which would increase the amount of ice in Antarctica, offsetting approximately one third of the expected sea level rise from thermal expansion of the oceans [2]. During a recent decade, East Antarctica thickened at an average rate of about 1.8 centimetres per year while West Antarctica showed an overall thinning of 0.9 centimetres per year (Davis et al., Science 2005) DOI:10.1126/science.1110662. An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² (19,305 mile²). The only current ice sheets are Antarctic and Greenland; during the last ice age at Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the Laurentide ice sheet covered much of Canada... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... For the contribution of Antarctica to present and future sea level change, see sea level rise. Sea level measurements from 23 long tide gauge records in geologically stable environments show a rise of around 20 centimeters per century (2 mm/year). ... Because ice flows, albeit slowly, the ice within the ice sheet is younger than the age of the sheet itself. Morphometric data for Antarctica (from Drewry, 1983) Surface Area (km²) Percent Mean ice thickness (m) Volume (km³) Percent Inland ice sheet 11,965,700 85.97 2,450 29,324,700 97.39 Ice shelves 1,541,710 11.08 475 731,900 2.43 Ice rises 78,970 .57 670 53,100 .18 Glacier ice (total) 13,586,380   2,160 30,109,800¹ Rock outcrop 331,690 2.38 Antarctica (total) 13,918,070 100.00 2,160 30,109,800¹ 100.00 ¹The total ice volume is different from the sum of the component parts because individual figures have been rounded. Regional ice data (from Drewry and others, 1982; Drewry, 1983) Region Area (km²) Mean ice thickness (m) Volume (km³) East Antarctica Inland ice 9,855,570 2,630 25,920,100 Ice shelves 293,510 400 117,400 Ice rises 4,090 400 1,600 West Antarctica (excluding Antarctic Peninsula) Inland ice sheet 1,809,760 1,780 3,221,400 Ice shelves 104,860 375 39,300 Ice rises 3,550 375 1,300 Antarctic Peninsula Inland ice sheet 300,380 610 183,200 Ice shelves 144,750 300 43,400 Ice rises 1,570 300 500 Ross Ice Shelf Ice shelf 525,840 427 224,500 Ice rises 10,320 500 5,100 Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf Ice shelf 472,760 650 307,300 Ice rises 59,440 750 44,600 The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) blankets the continent of Antarctica west of the Transantarctic Mountains, covering the area called Lesser Antarctica. The WAIS is classified as a marine-based ice sheet, meaning that its bed lies well below sea level and its edges flow into floating ice shelves. ... Antarctic Peninsula map Booth Island and Mount Scott flank the narrow Lemaire Channel on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. ... Ross Ice Shelf in 1997. ... The calving of A-38 off Ronne ice shelf The Filchner-Ronne ice shelf is in Antarctica bordering the Weddell Sea. ... [edit] Ice shelves Antarctic ice shelves, 1998. Deh! Don't be givin me cheek! Most of the coastline of Antarctica is ice shelves (floating ice sheet) or ice walls (grounded ice). Melting or breakup of floating shelf ice does not affect global sea levels, and happens regularly as shelves grow. Antarctic principal geographic features, with ice shelves labeled Source: Coastal-Change and Glaciological Maps of Antarctica. ... Antarctic principal geographic features, with ice shelves labeled Source: Coastal-Change and Glaciological Maps of Antarctica. ... Ross Ice Shelf An ice shelf is a thick, floating platform of ice that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down to a coastline and onto the ocean surface. ... Known changes in coastline ice: Around the Antarctic Peninsula: 1936-1989: Wordie Ice Shelf significantly reduced in size. 1995: Prince Gustav Channel no longer blocked by ice. Last open from about 1900 years ago to 6500 years ago, probably due to warmth during the Holocene Climatic Optimum. Parts of the Larsen Ice Shelf broke up in recent decades. 1995: The Larsen A ice shelf disintegrated in January of 1995. 2001: 3,250 km² of the Larsen B ice shelf disintegrated in February of 2001. It had been gradually retreating before the breakup event. The George VI Ice Shelf, which may be on the brink of instability [3], has probably existed for approximately 8000 years, after melting 1500 years earlier [4]. Warm ocean currents may have been the cause of the melting [5]. The idea that it was warmer in Antarctica 10,000 years ago is supported by ice cores, though the timing is not quite right. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Wordie Ice Shelf (69º15´S 067º45´W) is a confluent glacier projecting as an ice shelf into the SE part of Marguerite Bay between Cape Berteaux and Mount Edgell, along the western coast of Antarctic Peninsula. ... The Prince Gustav Channel () was named in 1903 after Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden (later King Gustav V) by Otto Nordenskiöld of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition. ... The Holocene Climate Optimum was a warm period during roughly the interval 7,000 to 5,000 years B.P.. This event has also been known by many other names, including: Hypisthermal, Altithermal, Climatic Optimum, Holocene Optimum, Holocene Thermal Maximum, and Holocene Megathermal. ... Larsen A and Larsen B iceshelves marked in red The Larsen Ice Shelf () is a long, fringing ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, extending along the east coast of Antarctic Peninsula from Cape Longing to the area just southward of Hearst Island. ... Image File history File links As for Image:Epica-vostok-grip-40kyr. ... See also: Ross Ice Shelf, Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Larsen Ice Shelf, Abbot Ice Shelf, Dotson Ice Shelf, Getz Ice Shelf, Shackleton Ice Shelf, West Ice Shelf. ANTARCTICA IS 199999 DEGREES CELSIUS Ross Ice Shelf in 1997. ... The calving of A-38 off Ronne ice shelf The Filchner-Ronne ice shelf is in Antarctica bordering the Weddell Sea. ... Larsen A and Larsen B iceshelves marked in red The Larsen Ice Shelf () is a long, fringing ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, extending along the east coast of Antarctic Peninsula from Cape Longing to the area just southward of Hearst Island. ... The Abbot Ice Shelf (72º45´S 096º00´W) is an ice shelf 400 km (250 mi) long and 64 km (40 mi) wide, bordering Eights Coast from Cape Waite to Phrogner Point. ... Dotson Poop Shelf (74º24´S 112º22´W) is an ice shelf about 48 km (30 mi) wide between Martin and Bear Peninsulas on the coast of Marie Byrd Land. ... Getz Ice Shelf is an Antarctic ice shelf, over 480 km (300 mi) long and from 32 to 96 km (20 to 60 mi) wide, bordering the Hobbs and Bakutis Coasts of Marie Byrd Land between McDonald Heights and Martin Peninsula. ... Shackleton Ice Shelf (66º00´S 100º00´E) is an extensive ice shelf fronting the coast of Antarctica for about 384 km (95E to l05E), projecting seaward about 145 km in the western portion and 64 km in the east. ... The West Ice Shelf (66º40´S 085º00´E) is a prominent ice shelf extending about 288 km in an E-W direction along the Antarctic coast between Barrier Bay and Posadowsky Bay. ... [edit] Climate change This image shows trends in skin temperatures—temperatures from roughly the top millimeter of the land or sea surface—of Antarctica from 1982 to 2004. Red indicates areas where temperatures generally increased during that period, and blue shows where temperatures predominantly decreased. The British Antarctic Survey, which has undertaken the majority of Britain's scientific research in the area, has the following positions: [6] Image File history File links Antarctic_temps. ... Image File history File links Antarctic_temps. ... BAS headquarters The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), formerly the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), is an institute of the Natural Environment Research Council, and has, for the last fifty years, undertaken the majority of Britains scientific research on and around the Antarctic continent. ... Ice makes polar climate sensitive by introducting a strong positive feedback loop. Melting of continental Antarctic ice could contribute to global sea level rise. Climate models predict more snowfall than ice melting during the next 50 years, but models are not good enough for them to be confident about the prediction. Antarctica seems to be both warming around the edges and cooling at the center at the same time. Thus it is not possible to say whether it is warming or cooling overall. There is no evidence for a decline in overall Antarctic sea ice extent. The central and southern parts of the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula have warmed by nearly 3°C. The cause is not known. Changes have occurred in the upper atmosphere over Antarctica. The area of strongest cooling appears at the South Pole, and the region of strongest warming lies along the Antarctic Peninsula. One possible explanation for this is that the warmer temperatures in the surrounding ocean have produced more precipitation in the continent's interior, and this increased snowfall has cooled the high-altitude region around the pole. Another 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 in to the continent's interior. A stronger polar vortex might explain the cooling trend in the interior of Antarctica.[7] Positive feedback is a feedback system in which the system responds to the perturbation in the same direction as the perturbation (It is sometimes referred to as cumulative causation). ... Climate models use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions of the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice. ... “UV” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Ozone generator be merged into this article or section. ... Atmosphere diagram showing stratosphere. ... The polar vortex is a persistent, large-scale cyclone located near the Earths poles, in the middle and upper troposphere and the stratosphere. ... There is also evidence for widespread glacier retreat around the Antarctic Peninsula [8]. [edit] See also Retreat of glaciers since 1850 Effects of global warming Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park (US) showing recession since 1850 of 1. ... The net impact of global warming so far has been modest, but near-future effects are likely to become significantly negative, with large-scale extreme impacts possible by the end of the century. ... [edit] References D. G. Vaughan, G. J. Marshall, W. M. Connolley, J. C. King, and R. M. Mulvaney (2001). "Devil in the detail". Science 293: 1777-1779. DOI:10.1126/Science.1065116.  M.J. Bentley, D.A. Hodgson, D.E. Sugden, S.J. Roberts, J.A. Smith, M.J. Leng, C. Bryant (2005). "Early Holocene retreat of the George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula". Geology 33 (3): 173–176. DOI:10.1130/G21203.1.  A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... [edit] External links [edit] Climate Climate data from Antarctic surface stations with trends Temperature data from the READER project A pamphlet about the weather and climate of Antarctica Information concerning recent ice shelf calving (unreliable) maps of snowfall and temperature Temperature statistics at the Amundsen-Scott station on the South Pole Warmer temperatures, more snow... Antarctica's central ice cap grows while glaciers melt AWS and AMRC Real-Time Weather Observations and Data. University of Wisconsin-Madison's Antarctic Weather Stations Project and Antarctic Meteorological Research Center. Retrieved on May 31, 2005. is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... [edit] Climate change in Antarctica http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Key_Topics/Climate_Change/Climate_Change_Position.html http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/Key_Topics/IceSheet_SeaLevel/ice_shelf_loss.html [edit] Antarctic ice Coastal-Change and Glaciological Maps of Antarctica. USGS Fact Sheet 2005-3055. Retrieved on May 31, 2005. Coastal-Change and Glaciological Maps of Antarctica. USGS Fact Sheet 050-98. Retrieved on February 28, 2005. Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Eights Coast area, Antarctica; 1972-2001. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Series Map, I-2600-E. Retrieved on February 28, 2005. Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Bakutis Coast area, Antarctica; 1972-2002. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Series Map, I-2600-F. Retrieved on February 28, 2005. Coastal-change and glaciological map of the Saunders Coast area, Antarctica; 1972-1997. U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Series Map, I-2600-G. Retrieved on February 28, 2005. Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World -- Antarctica. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386-B. Retrieved on February 28, 2005. Categories: Antarctica | Climate is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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	Antarctica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (4670 words) Antarctica is home to more than 70 lakes that lie thousands of metres under the surface of the continental ice sheet. West Antarctica was partially in the northern hemisphere, and during this period large amounts of sandstones, limestones and shales were deposited. Glaciologists in Antarctica are concerned with the study of the history and dynamics of floating ice, seasonal snow, glaciers, and ice sheets. Climate of Antarctica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1408 words) The climate of Antarctica is the coldest on earth, with the lowest temperature ever recorded on earth being -89.6  °C (-129 °F) at Vostok Station. Nearly all of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet that is, on average, 2.5 kilometres thick. Climate models predict more snowfall than ice melting during the next 50 years, but models are not good enough for them to be confident about the prediction.
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