Coldest Spot On Earth Found In Antarctica

Karloff

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Oct 19, 2009
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Coldest Spot On Earth Found In Antarctica



Antarctica: home of the Mountains of Madness, and also the coldest spot there is.

August 10th, 2010 is the date, and -93.2 Celsius (or -135.8F) is the temperature: the record-breaking coldest spot on Earth has been found, by satellite. Yes, it's in Antarctica, and beats the previous low, recorded at Russia's Vostok Base, by several degrees Celsius. The science team which made this announcement believes that an even colder figure will be found, as it goes through the reams of available satellite data.

The coldest moments, the team discovered, occur in the winter months at high elevation, when dry and clear air conditions allow heat to be efficiently shed out into space. The very coldest spots tend to be found, not at mountain ridge crests, but slightly down the slope, in pockets where chilled air flows and pools.

"If you were standing in one of these places, you'd hardly notice you were in a topographic low - it's that gentle and that shallow. But it's enough to trap this air," says Dr Ted Scambos, who likens the experience as the closest thing to being on another planet that a human can encounter.

The cold spots along those Antarctic peaks run in a line between Dome Argus and Dome Fuji, A and F on the map. They all reach somewhere between -92 and -94 Celsius. The coldest spot on earth was recorded at a latitude of 81.8 degrees South and a longitude of 59.3 degrees East, at an elevation of about 3,900m.

Source: BBC [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25287806]


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Atary77

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Feb 27, 2008
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Now we just need to get someone there, then have them take a tinkle to see if it freezes before they finish!
 

Pebkio

The Purple Mage
Nov 9, 2009
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Really?

Antartica? You must be yanking my chain. And in the winter months too? At high elevation? Well this is just blowing my mind. Well, it was -93.2 C but for my planning needs, I'd like to know what it would really be with the wind chill.

Y'know, just in case...

---

To be fair, I am kinda confused by the "winter months" bit. Isn't there months where the sun doesn't shine on Antartica at all? In the summer months (when the Northen Hemisphere is hogging all the good angles)? That's not when it gets the coldest?
 

Neurotic Void Melody

Bound to escape
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Jul 15, 2013
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Shouldn't the temperature be in Kelvin if measured using SI units?
Meh, sounds like a place worth visiting. Many things to test and photographs to be had
 

Yopaz

Sarcastic overlord
Jun 3, 2009
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Xsjadoblayde said:
Shouldn't the temperature be in Kelvin if measured using SI units?
Meh, sounds like a place worth visiting. Many things to test and photographs to be had
Doesn't really matter if it's K or C. C is easier since people use it. Unless you're doing physics or chemistry there's no reason to add 273.
 

Eric the Orange

Gone Gonzo
Apr 29, 2008
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Atary77 said:
Now we just need to get someone there, then have them take a tinkle to see if it freezes before they finish!
eh, you can do that in the winter in Alaska. the real test is if your breath freezes into tiny ice crystals.
 

Jadak

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Nov 4, 2008
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Pebkio said:
To be fair, I am kinda confused by the "winter months" bit. Isn't there months where the sun doesn't shine on Antartica at all? In the summer months (when the Northen Hemisphere is hogging all the good angles)? That's not when it gets the coldest?
Seasons flip with the hemisphere. In other words, where you read "winter months" and think "December,January,February", from a southern perspective those would be "summer months" and winter months would read as: 'June/July/August'.

So when they say winter months, they are likely talking about back in July or some time around then.

Edit: Just noticed that it actually says right on the picture: Aug 2010.
 

Pebkio

The Purple Mage
Nov 9, 2009
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Jadak said:
Seasons flip with the hemisphere. In other words, where you read "winter months" and think "December,January,February", from a southern perspective those would be "summer months" and winter months would read as: 'June/July/August'.

So when they say winter months, they are likely talking about back in July or some time around then.

Edit: Just noticed that it actually says right on the picture: Aug 2010.
Ah, I was thinking as much. Okay, my original comment still sand: REALLY!? Really really? Antartica? In the winter? At high altitudes? It's too crazy to be the truth!

Edit: 2010!? What the hell? This news has gone from incredulous to kinda sad.
 

RA92

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Jan 1, 2011
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Nah, the coldest spot on Earth is the Large Hadron Collider, when its magnets are operating at a temperature of 1.9K, or -271C.

Captcha: cool heads prevail
 

mokes310

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Oct 13, 2008
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So, what you're trying to tell me is that I should bring a coat? Think I could get by without a scarf? In all honesty, that's pretty damn cool! I wonder what type of survival gear you would need to not die almost instantly in those conditions?
 

CrazyCapnMorgan

Is not insane, just crazy >:)
Jan 5, 2011
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Somebody obviously hasn't told these people about global warming. /sarcasm

OT: Frickin' BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Puts a new perspective on living in Upstate New York.

Interesting side story - I was talking to one of my friends in North Dakota when that winter storm went through there. She said she had snow up to her waist, the wind chill was in the negative double digits (Fahrenheit) and all her husband would do is stare at the kitchen window for hours on end. She said if the storm had gotten any worse...she might have had to let him in.
 

Someone Depressing

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Jan 16, 2011
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Because, y'know, Antartica really needed that extra bit of oomph to promote tourist attraction.

Did you know what there are two cash machines in Antartica? One of them has been out of service since its building and the other than a penis drawn on it? That's a tourist attraction.
 

EHKOS

Madness to my Methods
Feb 28, 2010
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Well this got my mind correct right quick it did mate. I always tought teh cold3st spot was in Hawaii. Color me completely taken by the surprise.

....I think I just had a stroke.
 

ThunderCavalier

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Nov 21, 2009
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I don't mean to sound dismissive of these scientists' claims - I mean, these kind of things are genuinely interesting to find out and record - but I do have to agree that this doesn't really strike me as a surprise.

Of course, now the question is: Is it just the coldest place on Earth, or is there something special there? Do you think that's where we will found our mythical dragons?
 

ACman

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Eric the Orange said:
Atary77 said:
Now we just need to get someone there, then have them take a tinkle to see if it freezes before they finish!
eh, you can do that in the winter in Alaska. the real test is if your breath freezes into tiny ice crystals.
No. The real test is whether the CO2 starts depositing out of the air.

I'm not sure from looking at the phase diagrams but it certainly seems plausible even accounting for pressure at 3900m.
 

Varrdy

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Feb 25, 2010
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Coldest spot on Earth found - It's so cold that a Geordie member of the expedition has to put on a tee-shirt.
 

Varrdy

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Feb 25, 2010
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Atary77 said:
Now we just need to get someone there, then have them take a tinkle to see if it freezes before they finish!
I don't think there would be many takers - one poor bloke had to have his willy amputated after he neglected to zip up correctly after a slash in such conditions.

I really wish that the person telling the story hadn't provided pictorial evidence...