Antarctica is the sixth continent, the last of the open continents. Due to extremely harsh conditions, it is not available to most. However, people do not really want to come here. For quite a long time, only trained researchers withstand it. Hurricane winds, low temperatures, endless expanses of ice and snow - this is what Antarctica is. The climate of the continent is primarily due to the geographical position of the mainland.
Place on the globe
The position of Antarctica is the reason that it has remained so hidden from the vigilant eyes of sailors for so long. The sixth continent is located in the southern hemisphere, in the polar region. In addition to the distance, drifting ices separate it from other continents, which were an insurmountable obstacle for ships of past centuries.
At some distance from the center of the mainland is the South Pole. The pole of relative inaccessibility and the absolute pole of cold are two more points that Antarctica boasts. The climate of the continent in general terms becomes clear from their names.
Temperature
The lowest mark, to which the thermometer in Antarctica fell, is -89.2 º. This temperature was recorded in the area of the then Soviet station "Vostok". Here the absolute cold pole is located.
In the central zones of the continent there are no positive temperatures even in the short summer months. From November to February, when the warm season arrives in the Southern Hemisphere , the air can warm up to -30 º or -20 º. On the coast, things are different. Here the temperature in the summer months rises to 0 º and sometimes even higher.
Sunny but cold
The climate features of Antarctica are associated with a sufficiently large amount of energy coming here from our luminary, and at the same time low temperatures. This discrepancy is due to the high reflectivity of the ice. The sun shines from a virtually cloudless sky over the short summer months almost non-stop. However, the vast majority of the heat is reflected. In addition, during the polar night, which lasts on the continent for six months, Antarctica cools even more.
Hurricanes
The severity of the climate of Antarctica is also explained by its yet another feature. Here the so-called kabatic, or stock, winds blow. They are formed as a result of the difference in surface and air temperatures. Also, the cause of the formation of winds is the dome-shaped configuration of the ice sheet of the continent. The surface air layer cools, its density increases and, under the action of gravity, it flows down to the coast. The thickness of such a mass is on average 200-300 meters. It carries a large amount of snow dust, which greatly affects the visibility in the area where the wind occurs.
The speed of the air masses depends on the steepness of the slope. The winds gain the greatest strength in the area of the coast with a slope towards the sea. They blow for quite long periods. Arctic winter is the time of maximum wind power raging from April to November with virtually no interruption. From November to March, the situation is somewhat improving. Winds occur only when the Sun is low above the horizon, well, and at night. With the advent of summer, by increasing the surface temperature on the coast, it becomes quiet.
Antarctica, the climate of which is even harsh in the summer months, as a result of the activation of hurricane winds for eight months is inaccessible to airplanes and other aircraft. Polar wintering at this time, in fact, remain cut off from the outside world.
"Native people"
Such a harsh climate, meanwhile, did not make Antarctica completely uninhabited. There are birds, insects, mammals and even plants. The latter are represented mainly by lichens and undersized herbs (not higher than one centimeter). Mosses are also found on the continent.
On Antarctica there is not a single completely land mammal species. The reason for this lies in the scarce vegetation: in the central zones of the mainland there is simply nothing to eat. The most famous animal of the continent is a penguin. Several of its species nest here. Some settle only on the islands, others have chosen the coast.
Antarctica, whose climate is harmful to many organisms, does not scare away seals, as well as blue whales, sperm whales, killer whales, and southern minke whales. Of the birds, except for penguins, the ice open spaces are native to skuas and petrels.
The harsh Antarctic climate is unsuitable for human life. However, this does not prevent scientists from actively exploring the continent: a rather large number of polar stations have already been located on its territory. Researchers annually strive here to overcome extreme conditions and come close to many secrets of the mainland and nature in general.