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Antarctica’s average annual temperature ranges from about −10°C on the coast to −60°C at the highest parts of the interior. Near the coast, the temperature can exceed +10°C in summer and fall to below −40°C in winter.
The temperature graph below shows the reading from the 1 m sensor. At 10 m depth, seasonal temperature variations are damped out. The temperature at this depth is close to the annual average surface temperature.
Temperature extremes recorded at Casey are −41°C in July and +9°C in January. The yearly average wind speed at Casey is around 20 km/h. In comparison, the yearly average of Hobart in Tasmania is around 12 km/h.
Mawson’s climate is typical of much of the coast of East Antarctica where the ice cap falls steeply to sea level. The main feature is the katabatic, or gravity wind. These winds happen when cold air moves down the steep slopes of the ice sheet from the high interior of the continent, picking up speed until they reach the coast.
Above graph: Daily observations of overall Antarctic sea-ice extent [SIE] reveal 2023 (dark green line) as the lowest winter extent since records began in 1979. The light green line shows 2014 data, with the record high (winter) Antarctic SIE of 20.12 million square kilometres.
How much daylight is there in Antarctica during summer and winter? View the sunlight graphs to find out.
Learn about weather and climate on the icy continent.
Data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has revealed another summer of exceptionally low sea-ice extent around Antarctica. Sea-ice extent around the frozen continent was measured at 1.99 million square kilometres*, with scientists suggesting a ‘regime shift’ could be underway.
Snow pits extend from the surface to the sea ice below and can be metres deep. Scientists then take samples from the vertical face of the pit, to measure properties including density, crystal structure and temperature, as well as properties the SnowMicroPen can’t measure, like salinity.
In 2019-20, for example, parts of coastal Antarctica, including at Australia’s Casey research station, experienced a three-day heatwave, breaking minimum and maximum temperature records. Casey’s highest maximum of 9.2°C, was 6.9°C higher than the mean maximum temperature for the station over the past 31 years.