VOSTOK Station in Antarctica currently holds the crown for the coldest place on the planet. It recorded -89.2 掳C on 21 July 1983. But it could get even colder, with temperatures dropping to about -96 掳C, if 鈥減erfect鈥� cold-weather conditions prevail.
John Turner of the British Antarctic Survey and colleagues analysed the weather conditions that brought about the record chill and found it was caused by an unusual, near-stationary atmospheric vortex. 鈥淭his isolated Vostok and prevented the waves of warm air that normally come up from the ocean,鈥� says Turner. After that big chill, the temperature bounced up by over 20 掳C in one day (Journal of Geophysical Research 鈥� Atmospheres, ).
If the wind speed were lower and a similar vortex centred on Vostok, Turner reckons that the temperature could drop by a further 6 掳C or so. But the researchers say that the coldest place of all might be nearby , where a higher elevation could mean temperatures fall beyond -100 掳C. Understanding temperature swings is important for interpreting Antarctic ice-core records, says Turner.
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