9/29/12 Record Cold Antarctica?

Just last week on Sept. 16^th, Vostok, the research station on Antarctica, recorded a low temperature of minus 119 degrees. As crazy cold as that is, it was still a few degrees off from the coldest temperature recorded on earth during the month of September, which is minus 122°F (which just so happens to have been set at this very same site).

Courtesy: National Geographic

Antarctica is by far the coldest continent on the planet. The coldest temperature recorded on planet Earth was recorded at Vostok in July of 1983, when the temperature plunged to minus 129 degrees. *Note- starting at -40°F any exposed skin will freeze instantly (Interestingly, this was determined by a bunch of scientists who stood around in Antarctica until their skin froze).

This past Antarctic winter finished colder than average over most of the continent. It is not surprising then, that the sea ice in the southern ocean has broken many daily maximum extent records in recent weeks but remained slightly below the record level set back in 2007.

Strangely, we know that the Arctic and Antarctic tend to oscillate oppositely, meaning while the Arctic continues to record well-below-normal ice conditions, the Antarctic has done the opposite, recording much-above-average ice conditions in recent years. Will this ever swap? Only time will tell.



Courtesy: Wired



Sources: Inforum, NOAA, Weather Notebook