This can happen when the snow cover is unbroken and the sky is overcast. Whiteout is a serious hazard as it causes a loss of perspective and direction. Why live in Antarctica? How many people? It's a bit breezy Video transcript Mawson research station is nestled on the coast of East Antarctica. Where the ice cap falls steeply to the sea. The 19 Australians at Mawson have just endured an epic seven day blizzard. Visibility was zero for days on end. As conditions eased, expeditioners headed out to check for damage.
While the force of the winds moved fully laden shipping containers, there were no major issues. Moving even a small distance in Antarctic storms is a feat of strength and endurance. Precipitation The dry, subsiding air over the interior of Antarctica creates little cloud.
Drifting and blowing snow Loose snow can be picked up and carried along by the wind. Whiteout Whiteout is an optical phenomenon. Photo gallery See all. Only a few regions of the Antarctic Peninsula regularly reach temperatures above the freezing point, yet the western part of this Peninsula in particular is greatly affected by global climate change.
No other region on Earth is warming at a rate as fast as here. There is data to support a warming of the continent of about 0. There are strong winds in the Antarctic, caused by high-altitude inflowing air masses which form a high pressure area with a stable fair weather area above the central plateau. As the air masses cool down, they sink downwards and flow towards the coasts fall winds.
These katabatic winds play a major role in the formation of coastal polynyas, sea ice formation and thereby the generation of Antarctic bottom water. The phenomenon is especially pronounced off the large shelf ice areas in the Ross Sea and Weddell Sea. Very high wind speeds are common in eastern regions in particular. Precipitation in the Antarctic occurs mainly in the form of snowfall in the winter months.
In the high pressure area at the centre of Antarctica, precipitation occurs only as a result of the cooling of high-altitude air masses. Precipitation of less than 50 mm per year in central Antarctica is a very low level and makes it something of an arid ice desert. Precipitation increases closer to the coastal regions, reaching about mm per year. The islands off the coast experience average annual precipitation rates of up to 1, mm.
What is the difference between Antarctic sea ice and Arctic sea ice? As detailed in Regional climate variation and weather , there is a large difference in levels of precipitation near the coast compared with further inland. The following websites contain more information about polar climates:.
Skip to content Menu. Sizing up Antarctica The world turned upside down? Measuring the ice Going back in time Antarctica: The frozen continent Oceans, atmosphere, landscape A changing climate Seasonal change The climate today The climate of the past The climate of the future Rising seas Making waves Glaciation So you think you know about glaciers?
What are glaciers? Pole to pole Spot the difference Polar extremes The importance of Polar science Your polar proposal — become a scientist Decision time Collect Antarctic data Guess the gadget Prepare to travel south Collect data about the ocean Collect atmospheric data Collect data about the land Using your data Understanding Antarctica Bases for understanding Developing understanding Contemporary understanding Using the past to research the present Conserving the past Understanding the past and the present Geographic Information Systems GIS Mapping wind speed and direction in Antarctica Working in 3D using digital elevation models Ice shelf retreat on the Antarctic Peninsula Tourism Destination Antarctica Why Antarctica?
A trip of a lifetime Avoiding footprints The future of tourism Acting responsibly Visit Antarctica Impacts and Management Environmentally friendly tourism Challenges Antarctica under pressure A treasure trove of resources Farming Antarctic waters Putting you under pressure Antarctica under pressure Sustainability Impacts of climate change Mineral resources Overfishing Future of Antarctica What future for Antarctica?
Which view of the future? You decide! Reporting on the future How is Antarctica governed? The Antarctic Treaty All agreed? In this section. Close Tab. A trip of a lifetime Avoiding footprints The future of tourism Acting responsibly Visit Antarctica Impacts and Management Environmentally friendly tourism Challenges Antarctica under pressure A treasure trove of resources Farming Antarctic waters Putting you under pressure Under pressure: Land Antarctica under pressure Sustainability Impacts of climate change Mineral resources Overfishing Future of Antarctica What future for Antarctica?
All resources. Match the following statements with the correct term climate or weather to review your understanding of the differences.
Day to day variations in atmospheric conditions temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed, sunshine etc. Lowest temperature recorded at Vostok Station, 21 July Rothera Station mean annual temperature calculated by averaging 30 years of data. Days of high winds which slowed progress and caused Shackleton to abandon the expedition to the South Pole when within miles of the destination. Globally averaged surface air temperature rise of 0.
A strong low pressure system causing storms and rough seas in the Drake Passage. Air over the high East Antarctic plateau is very cold causing it to sink and create persistent high pressure over the polar region.
View answers. However this is only part of the story, and two other major effects need to be considered: Differences in elevation There is a high surface elevation across Antarctica because ice has built up on top of a large continental landmass. Differences in heat transport Both polar regions are cold because of low angle sunlight along with periods of prolonged darkness coupled with a high surface albedo.
Force 12 Storm in Drake's Passage.
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