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Ultralow Surface Temperatures in East Antarctica From Satellite Thermal Infrared Mapping: The Coldest Places on Earth

Scambos, T. A.
; 
Campbell, G. G.
; 
Pope, A.
; 
Haran, T.
; ; 
Lazzara, M.
; 
Reijmer, C. H.
; 
van den Broeke, M. R.
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Genre
Journal article
Date
2018-06-25
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Department
Earth and Environmental Science
Subject
Remote sensing
 Surface temperature
 Thermal mapping
 Air temperature inversion
 Snow and ice
 Antarctica
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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12613/8745
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Muto-JournalArticle-2018.pdf
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018gl078133
Abstract
We identify areas near the East Antarctic ice divide where <−90 °C surface snow temperatures are observed in wintertime satellite thermal-band data under clear-sky conditions. The lowest temperatures are found in small (<200 km2) topographic basins of ~2 m depth above 3,800 m elevation. Approximately 100 sites have observed minimum surface temperatures of ~−98 °C during the winters of 2004–2016. Comparisons of surface snow temperatures with near-surface air temperatures at nearby weather stations indicate that ~−98 °C surfaces imply ~−94 ± 4 °C 2-m air temperatures. Landsat 8 thermal band data and elevation data show gradients near the topographic depressions of ~6 °C km−1 horizontally and ~4 °C m−1 vertically. Ultralow temperature occurrences correlate with strong polar vortex circulation. We discuss a conceptual model of radiative surface cooling that produces an extreme inversion layer. Further cooling occurs as near-surface cold air pools in shallow high-elevation topographic basins, moderated by clear-air downwelling radiation and heat from subsurface snow.
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Scambos, T. A., Campbell, G. G., Pope, A., Haran, T., Muto, A., Lazzara, M., et al. (2018). Ultralow surface temperatures in East Antarctica from satellite thermal infrared mapping: The coldest places on Earth. Geophysical Research Letters, 45, 6124– 6133. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL078133
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Wiley
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Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 45, Iss. 12
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