The total area of the Antarctic Continent is 14 million square kilometers. In one year, the area where ice disappears has only the area of less than 3% of whole continent. In one year, the area where ice disappears has only the area of less than 3% of whole continent. The ice sheet has the thickness of up to 4,000 meters. It is ice-covered contains almost 90% of the world flesh water. The Antarctic is ice-covered contains almost 90% of the world flesh water. As for the ice of the ice sheet, the snow was compressed. It is begins to be formed for at least 25 million years, and it is thought that it covered the continent exhaustively 15 million years ago.
The Antarctic Continent is the coldest on ground, and the strongest wind blows and is the driest continent. Furthermore, it is hard to absorb solar light energy most because albedo is high. The Antarctic Continent is the coldest on ground, and the strongest wind blows and is the driest continent. Furthermore, it is hard to absorb solar light energy most because albedo is high. The annual mean air temperature of the chilliest inland is less than -55 degrees. It observed -89.6 degrees in the Vostok base of the former Soviet Union in the Central Highlands. It is the lowest temperature observed so far on the earth. The mean temperature of the four seasons of the geographical South Pole base of the United States of America is -57 degrees in winter in -32 degrees, the autumn in -49 degrees, the summer in -59 degrees, spring. It is -14 degrees in winter in the coastal place in -2 degrees, the autumn in -11 degrees, the summer in -20 degrees, spring. The dome-shaped topography of the Antarctic Continent causes an atmospheric flow called the katabatic wind. The air which is high in the density that occurred because of radiational cooling of the Central Highlands slides down a continental slope. When this wind blows to the coastal place and takes it down, the wind velocity may become 22 meters per second. The strong katabatic wind tears off snow of the surface of the earth in large quantities and dispels it in the offing more than 10 kilometers. The strongest wind blows in winter in one year because differences between oceanic surface temperature and continent temperature become Maximum. Such a wind brings extreme low temperature and drying and makes disadvantageous environment when a creature lives. Most of the rainfall depends on snow in the Antarctic Continent. Because wet air is not supplied from the sea, in the inland of the South Pole, there are few snowfalls. The snow quantity measured at much inland observation spots is less than 5 centimeters a year. However, the quantity of snow of the coastal place reaches an average of 30 centimeters a year. Because a blizzard rages at the South Pole, a figure that the Antarctic Continent dries is covered. Snow of the blizzards is the old snow that most fell before, and there is little new snow. It may be said that the Antarctic Continent is right white desert.
