This journal was inspired by the 7-8 grade homeschool students at the Pink Palace Museum who wanted me to take a closer look at Antarctica's extremes!
Lets take a CLOSER LOOK at ANTARCTICA!
Extreme Antarctica
Staying here in Antarctica is teaching me about extremes! How extreme is extreme? Take a closer look at some of Antarctica’s most defining features below!
Extreme Cold:
Antarctica is the coldest continent in the world. In fact, the coldest temperature recorded was taken here. Not at McMurdo, but at the Russian station Volstok, about 816 miles from McMurdo.
The coldest temperature ever recorded - 128.6 was recorded at Vostok Station.
This record setting temperature was -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit taken on July 21st, 1983. That is about 100° colder than the coldest temperature I have ever experienced! Can you imagine anything that cold?
Now remember, this world record was taken in the middle of the Antarctic winter – so don’t expect to feel any temperature nearly that cold! Are you interested in the typical range of temperature found in the interior (South Pole station) and found on the coast (McMurdo station) of Antarctica? Check out these thermometers. Each pair shows the record high and low ever recorded at the station.
South Pole high and low temperatures.
McMurdo Station high and low temperatures.
Looking at these records, which area do you think is typically warmer during the year – McMurdo or the South Pole?
Extreme Wind:
Antarctica is also the windiest continent in the world. Winds here can reach terrific speeds. Take a look at these wind gauges. One shows the highest wind speed ever recorded in Memphis which occurred during Hurricane Elvis in 2003 and the other shows the highest wind speed ever recorded in Antarctica in 1972.
Memphis wind record during Hurricane Elvis on July 22, 2003. Wind speed - 102 miles per hour.
Antarctica wind record - 198.8 mph!
High winds are normal for Antarctica, but thankfully not quite that high (winds here at McMurdo average around 14 mile per hour)! These winds are known as the Katabatic winds. They move from places of high elevation – like the mountain tops – to places of lower elevations like here at McMurdo at the coast. As the winds move across many different types of terrain, they pick up speed and mix with the colder air on the ground creating very cold, very damaging winds that can appear very suddenly!
Extreme Dryness:
It’s cold, it’s windy and it’s also dry! Many of you may remember my picture challenge where I 'created' a landscape of Antarctica where camels were running rampant (you can check it out here to refresh your memory – link to journal). This picture was meant to show that Antarctica is a desert, even though we may not think so.
A desert is defined as a place that receives less than 10 inches of precipitation – rain, snow, etc. – in a year! While there is a lot of snow in Antarctica, it has built up over the years and years of not melting. So how much precipitation does Antarctica get in a year? Well, it depends on where you are. Take a look at these rain/snow gauges that compares the South Pole station with McMurdo station and other well-known deserts.
Rain/Snow gauges for some of the world's most popular deserts.
How do you think this dry climate affects the people working here?
Extreme Height:
Antarctica is also the highest continent on Earth in terms of elevation. Elevation is how high a place is above sea level. Take a look at the graphic below which compares the average elevations of Memphis, the United States and Antarctica.
Elevation comparison chart.
Why do you think the average elevation is so high in Antarctica? If you guessed that Antarctica has very high mountains and thick sheets of ice the cover the continent, you are correct! NASA made an elevation map of Antarctica where the red areas are 13000 feet or more above sea level while the blue areas are sea level.
Elevation map of Antarctica. Photo courtesy of NASA 2004.
Extreme Ice:
While it is not always quoted as a major extreme in Antarctica, the ice here actually grows and shrinks! In the summer, the continent looks a lot like the maps we see online of Antarctica. However, in the winter, the continent appears to almost double in size. What causes this?
The simple answer: sea ice. During the winter, sea ice grows because the temperatures are so low that it attaches to the rest of the continent. During the summer, however, the temperatures warm up and the sea ice melts back into the ocean. Take a look at these grids.
Antarctica - winter ice grid.
Antarctica - summer ice grid.
Try this activity:
How much does Antarctica appear to grow in the winter?
First, each square in the grid represents 1 million square kilometers (about 621,000 square miles).
Counting only the white ice squares and the gray continent squares, count the number of full squares you see on the winter grid.
Then, take a look at the partial squares and estimate how many of the partial squares would make up full squares.
Add these two numbers together to get the area of Antarctica in the winter in kilometers!
Repeat the same procedure with the summer grid.
Then subtract the two area estimates you have to get the difference.
This number will tell you how much Antarctica grows from summer to winter!