COLD WEATHER!

Antarctica.

In Antarctica, the highest temperature is in the Summer and is about -25 degrees Celsius. In Antarctica, the lowest temperature is in the Winter and is about -65 degrees Celsius. Today, our temperature is…. Can you guess what it is in Antarctica? It is the coldest place on earth!

 Antarctica is also the iciest place in the world!  Nearly all of Antarctica is covered with ice sheets like this.  It is called a frozen desert.

The sun does shine in the Summer in Antarctica but there is no sun at all in Winter. It is completely dark!

It can’t rain in Antarctica because it is too cold! The rain water freezes and it snows instead. However, it does not snow that often in Antarctica. There is less than 4 cm per year.

WINDY ANTARCTICA! Winds can reach 200 miles per hour. In the car we only go up to 70 miles per hour. The strong winds can cause BLIZZARDS! This is when the snow on the ground is picked up by the strong winds and blown along the ground. People can die if they go out in the storms! A blizzard can last a week!

The winds also cause CYCLONES!

Clouds and skies  The Antarctic has amazing skies and clouds.  There is no pollution and no buildings or trees getting in the way!

People cannot live in Antarctica like they do in England. It is much too cold! It is home to only 4,000 people who are there to research the environment. They travel by snow mobile or by air and camp in pyramid tents or small huts.

Anybody in Antarctica must wear LOTS OF LAYERS OF CLOTHING TO KEEP WARM! They must wear special HATS, SOCKS, SCARFS, BOOTS and MITTENS too! They must also eat lots to keep up their energy!

FROST BITE: When parts of the body partially freeze. SNOW BLINDNESS: This happens if you spend too long looking at the bright white snow or ice. HYPOTHERMIA: When you get too cold!!!

They have special blood they stops the fish from freezing. They can survive because they have about 6 cm of blubber.

They have lots of fat and feathers to keep warm but even the penguins have to leave in the Winter. Like the seals, they have thick layers of fat and blubber!

Not many plants either! Only a few kinds of plants can survive!