The climate today
In February 2020, continental Antarctica recorded its highest temperatures. This was recorded at the Argentinian research station, Esperanza, reaching temperatures of 18.3 degrees Celsius.
Rothera Research Station
Rothera Research Station is a British owned research facility. This is a base for many scientists conducting important research on Antarctica.
Mostly, scientists tend to visit during the summer months (October – March), however some scientists stay there all year long. This means that they have to experience the freezing winter temperatures and see the seasonal changes in the weather in Antarctica.
A-68 and A-76
There have been dramatic changes in climate over large parts of western Antarctica. Changes in temperature have led to the collapse of ice shelves around the Antarctic Peninsula. Huge ice slabs now break off and float away. For example, in the Weddell Sea the A-68 iceberg calved from the Larsen C ice shelf in July 2017. This was followed by the calving of the world’s largest iceberg in 2021, an enormous mass of ice called A-76.
Video © NASAEarthObservatory.
Activity
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Look at the climate data comparing London and Rothera Research Station. Answer the questions on the download sheet to become a Antarctic climate expert!
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Look at the climate data for Rothera. Which months do you think the diary pages are talking about?
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Go to the British Antarctic Survey homepage to find out what the temperatures are right now.
Below are some images from within the Rothera Research Station. These show just some of the things that the scientists and crew can do in their down time, or when they want to escape from the cold.
