7.6.3: Ice Cap Climate
- Page ID
- 21730
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Geographic Distribution
The ice cap climate, class EF, is found over the frozen lands of the Arctic and Antarctic. In the Northern Hemisphere, the ice cap climate is found over the interior of Greenland and the permanently frozen portions of the Arctic Ocean and associated islands. In the Southern Hemisphere, the vast glacier covered continent of Antarctica is the largest expanse of ice cap climate.
Temperature
The ice cap climate experiences the coldest temperatures on Earth. In fact, we could say that the ice cap climate is "summer-less", having no average monthly temperature above freezing. McMurdo Station's annual temperature is a bone-chilling -17oC (1.4oF). The ice cap climate receives meager amounts of solar radiation on an annual basis. This coupled with a highly reflective surface means little absorbed insolation. Though the Sun does remain above the horizon for six months of the year, the low sun angle reduces insolation intensity. During the rest of the year the sun never appears above the horizon and temperatures plummet to the coldest experienced on the planet.
Precipitation
The large accumulation of ice makes the ice cap climate's annual precipitation somewhat deceiving. With such a large accumulation of ice, one would expect fairly high annual snowfall. This is not true. The ice cap climate is often described as a "polar desert" because of the meager amount of precipitation it experiences over the course of a year. At McMurdo Station, only 7.8 mm (0.4 in) of precipitation falls. The extremely cold temperature creates very small dew points and hence not much moisture is actually in the air at saturation. The reason there is such a thick cap of ice is that it doesn't melt. The air is also quite stable being dominated by the polar high and cA or cP air masses. It is not uncommon to find low-level inversions which inhibit precipitation.