UCSB Science Line
Sponge Spicules Nerve Cells Galaxy Abalone Shell Nickel Succinate X-ray Lens Lupine
UCSB Science Line
Home
How it Works
Ask a Question
Search Topics
Webcasts
Our Scientists
Science Links
Contact Information
What is the coldest desert in the world?
Question Date: 2014-05-17
Answer 1:

Good question! The coldest (and driest) desert in the world is the McMurdo Dry Valleys area of Antarctica. One study of the climate of the Dry Valleys from 1986–2000 showed that the average annual temperature of different locations in the Dry Valley ranged from approximately –15 to –30 Celsius (5 to –22 Fahrenheit; Doran et al., 2002). That is well below freezing!

references
Doran, P.T. et al., 2002. Valley floor climate observations from the McMurdo dry valleys, Antarctica, 1986¬–2000. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 107, 13-1–13-12.



Click Here to return to the search form.

University of California, Santa Barbara Materials Research Laboratory National Science Foundation
This program is co-sponsored by the National Science Foundation and UCSB School-University Partnerships
Copyright © 2020 The Regents of the University of California,
All Rights Reserved.
UCSB Terms of Use