Antarctica Climate

Climate of Antarctica

Antarctica is the coldest of the continents. It has a glacial climate, which is a variant of the polar climate and is not found anywhere else. Only the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula and the neighboring northernmost islands have a polar climate.

The continent is characterized by very low air temperatures, and here the record lowest human-recorded temperature on Earth of -89.2°C was recorded (July 21, 1983 at the Vostok polar station). Even lower temperatures, as low as -93.2°C, are known from satellite observations.

For much of the year there is a high-pressure center near the pole; lows bringing precipitation rarely appear. In coastal seas, low-pressure centers form a so-called low-pressure furrow. It causes the circulation of air masses and very strong winds, blowing from the pole to the coasts, causing frequent storms.

Precipitation in the central areas of Antarctica is very sparse, less than 100 mm, and occurs almost exclusively in the form of snow or hail. Rain is extremely rare and generally falls on the coasts, about 200 mm - 600 mm per year.

Common phenomena on the continent are the so-called polar nights and days, periods when day and night last longer than 24 hours. Also characteristic is the occurrence of auroras, colorful luminous phenomena created by the high ionization of the air. You can also see diamond dust, clouds composed of tiny ice crystals, usually appearing when the sky is cloudless.

Throughout Antarctica we can distinguish two seasons: summer and winter. Summer covers the period from November to March. This is the weatheriest of all months, with temperatures ranging from -30°C to -50°C. The warmest region is the coast, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula, where the mercury pole oscillates around -5°C to 10°C. There may also be fleeting, not very frequent rainfall. In summer, on sunny days, more solar radiation reaches the earth's surface at the South Pole than at the equator.

Winter, on the other hand, falls between April and October, with average temperatures then ranging from -60°C to -70°C. It can snow and there are snowstorms. A common phenomenon is the polar night, when the sun stays below the horizon for more than 24 hours.