Despite the
thick layer of ice that hides the Antarctic, up to 25 km thick, less than
5 cm of snow falls every year. This makes Antarctica drier than the Sahara.
When snow falls along with strong winds, severe blizzards may occur which
last up to a week. Such conditions reduce visibility to only a few metres
and human activity is hindered greatly. Also, blizzards cause heavy damage
to buildings and often bury structures with a thick layer of snow.
Temperature
Due to the
tilt of the earth, Antarctica, like its northern counterpart, the Arctic,
receives little direct sunlight, giving extremely low temperatures. However,
Antarctica also receives the longest days during mid-summer, being light
for the whole of the day. Alternatively, there is a period in mid-winter
when the sun never appears. The lowest temperature ever recorded on earth
was in Antarctica at the Russian station at Vostok in July 1983, at an
incredible -89.6 degrees Celsius. At this temperature steel shatters and
water will explode into ice crystals.
Which do you think is colder, the Arctic or the Antarctic?