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Re: Off Topic: Nice Weather

Hi,

sounds like a great holiday site. do you have a link for it?

Cheers,

Greg

Response to Greg on Nice Weather

Greg:

There is no direct link to Dome A; however, if you go to http://www.wunderground.com/weather-forecast/zmw:00000.1.89606 (see link) – which is an unmanned Russian research station (Vostok) where it is now minus 99 and where it was minus 128.6 in 1983 - you will find a list of extreme highs and lows on the Antarctic continent for the preceeding day, including Dome A

Right now Dome A has “warmed up” to minus 105 as reported by an automated station. I wonder how they power such a station. Batteries don't perform well at temperatures of minus 100 F, perhaps it's a very small RTG but such systems would be expensive. RTGs powered the Pluto flyby probe where temps were minus 390 F.

There is a very high altitude ridge that runs across the Antarctic continent for several hundred miles from Ice Dome A to Ice Dome F and along which there are a series of sinks (depressions) into which the coldest air settles from the peak of the ridge. Satellite measurements have identified surface temperatures as low as minus 135.8 F in one of these depressions although it is thought similar temperatures probably occur in most of those depressions, I.e., they are by far the coldest temperatures that occur on Earth.

If you intend to immediately charter a ski-equipped C-130 to fly you to Dome A, I suggest you arrive on 24 August to coincide with the first sunrise to occur there since 26 April.

As you can tell, my interest in numbes extends beyond our common background.

Best,

Bruce

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