Polar desert is the biome of the interior ice sheets and high-latitude barrens, where average annual temperature runs from about -10 C on the coast to -60 C in the highest interior and snowfall accumulates to the equivalent of only around 150 mm of water a year over the continent as a whole, rising above 1,000 mm on some coasts. The near-total absence of liquid water and warmth leaves the ground almost bare of plant life beyond hardy lichens, mosses and algae.
Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm) Typical Low Temperature (C) Typical High Temperature (C) Connections
Demonstrates
Polar regions are where auroral displays (Aurora Australis over Antarctica, Aurora Borealis over the Arctic) are seen.
Source Weather (Australian Antarctic Division)
Home To
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source World Wildlife Fund
Sources
1. Weather (Australian Antarctic Division)
Australian Antarctic DivisionAustralian Antarctic Division, Weather, precipitation section
The average accumulation of snow over the whole continent is estimated to be equivalent to about 150 mm of water per year.
In Category: Biomes, antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/weather, opening line
Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and driest continent on Earth.
Demonstrates: Aurora, antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/weather/aurora-australis, opening paragraph
The Aurora Australis was named for the southern lights that can be seen in Antarctica and Tasmania. An aurora is caused when solar winds in the upper atmosphere and the Earth's magnetic field interact together, resulting in rainbow colours in the night sky.
View the Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife Fund- Home To: Greenland Ice Sheet
- Home To: McMurdo Dry Valleys
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