An Antarctic oasis is a large area naturally free of snow and ice in the otherwise ice-covered continent of Antarctica.

Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station, Arctowski Station, King George Island
Wright Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys
Cape Hallett, Victoria Land
Holme Bay at Mawson Station, Mac. Robertson Land
Schirmacher Oasis, Princess Astrid Coast

Geology

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In Antarctica there are, in addition to mountaintops and nunataks, other natural snow- and ice-free areas often referred to as "Antarctic oases" or "dry valleys".[1][2] These areas are surrounded by the Antarctic ice sheet or, in coastal areas, are situated between the ice sheet and the Antarctic ice shelves.

Antarctic oases and dry valleys develop in areas with particular regional weather patterns and geography. These areas have very low humidity and precipitation. Although these areas are very cold, sufficient solar energy is absorbed by the ground to melt what little snow does fall, or else it is scoured or sublimated by katabatic winds, leaving the underlying rock exposed.

Despite usually extreme aridity, some plants, in the form of bryophytes and lichens, can survive in Antarctic oases.

Geography

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The larger oases (with their respective areas) are:

References

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  1. ^ Kouznetsov, R. D. (2008). The structure of the lower ABL over antarctic oasis during the summer. 14th International Symposium for the Advancement of Boundary Layer Remote Sensing. IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci. Vol. 1, art. 012035. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1/1/012035. ISSN 1755-1315.
  2. ^ Hince, Bernadette (2000). The Antarctic dictionary: a complete guide to Antarctic English. Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 0-9577471-1-X.

Further reading

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