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Nearly all of Antarctica is covered by a sheet of ice that is, on average, at least 1,500 m (5,000 ft) thick. Antarctica contains 90% of the world's ice and more than 70% of its fresh water. If all the land-ice covering Antarctica were to melt—around 30 × 10 ^ 6 km 3 (7.2 × 10 ^ 6 cu mi) of ice—the seas would rise by over 60 m (200 ft). [22]
Due to the partial melting of snow in summer due to above freezing daytime temperatures, animals as well as limited plant life (moss, lichens, and worts) are able to thrive during the warmer months of December, January, and February. Mean monthly temperatures range from −15.1 °C (4.8 °F) in June to −1.7 °C (28.9 °F) in December. [18]
The weather in Antarctica can be highly variable, and weather conditions will oftentimes change dramatically in a short period of time. Weather conditions on the continent are classified in a number of ways, and restrictions placed upon workers and other staffs vary both by stations and by nations. [1]
The sea around the islands is closed by ice from early April to early December, and the monthly average temperature is below 0 °C (32 °F) for eight months of the year (April to November). The islands have experienced measurable glacier retreat during recent years, but despite this, they remain more than 80% snow- and ice-covered throughout ...
The 2024 Antarctica heat wave refers to a prolonged and significant mid-winter increase in Antarctic temperatures compared to prior winters, causing several regions of Antarctica to reach temperatures 10 °C (18.0 °F) above normal in July 2024, up to a 28 °C (50.4 °F) increase above average. The heat wave was significant for occurring during ...
The Coldest Journey was a 2013 Commonwealth-supported expedition to Antarctica with the aim of becoming the first team ever to cross the Antarctic land mass during the polar winter. The endeavour aimed to raise more than $10 million for Seeing is Believing , a global charitable initiative which aims to eradicate avoidable blindness in ...
The climate of Antarctica is the coldest on Earth. Antarctica has the lowest naturally occurring temperature ever recorded: −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) at Vostok Station in 1983. [ 4 ] It is also extremely dry (technically a desert , or so called polar desert ), averaging 166 millimetres (6.5 in) of precipitation per year, as weather fronts ...
During the months of November to January, when the weather is the least hostile, jet charter flights are operated from Punta Arenas, Chile to the camp. Union Glacier is the site of the annual Antarctic Ice Marathon, [ 7 ] as well as the start of the World Marathon Challenge (7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days).