5 Amazing Facts About the Coldest Places on Earth

There are some interesting facts about five of the coldest places on Earth. Some interesting facts include spending months in darkness, or the potential to get even colder.

Eastern Antarctic Plateau at -94°C: Coldest but can Get Even Colder

According to satellite data gathered across an area about the area of Australia between Dome Argus and Dome Fuji, the Eastern Antarctic Plateau is the coldest place on Earth, with air temperatures reaching -94°C between 2004 and 2016.

According to a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Paper, this would be the coldest temperature on Earth, but scientists believe that due to the dry air in the area, it might lead temperatures to reach considerably colder.

Vostok Station Antarctica at -89.2°C: In the Summer, 30 People Live Here

In 1957, the Soviet Union built the Vostok research station, which is situated near the Southern Pole of Cold, the area in the southern hemisphere with the lowest surface temperatures ever measured.

The lowest temperature of the air ever directly measured was attained here in July 1983 when thermometers dropped to -89.2°C. Additionally, it is among the driest areas on Earth, with only 20 millimeters of snowfall annually.

According to Meduza, researchers not only work but also reside at the Vostok Station. Around 30-35 researchers remain at the station each year during the summer season, which in Antarctica is December, January, and the first few weeks of February. There are only 12-13 winter residents there the rest of the year.

Amundsen-Scott Station, Antarctica at -82.8°C: Winter Months in Darkness

The Amundsen-Scott Station, which is situated at the South Pole, was constructed in 1956 and enjoys six months of summer sunshine and six months of complete darkness. A delightfully balmy -12.3°C was the highest temperature ever measured in this region of the East Antarctic Plateau on Christmas Day of 2011. In June 1982, it was the coldest on record at -82.8°C.

Denali, Alaska at -73°C: No Reptiles, Only 1 Amphibian

With a height of more than 6000 meters above sea level, Denali is the highest mountain summit in North America. Only 50% of those who try to conquer this mountain really reach the summit because of the very cold temperatures, which hover around -10°C on average. A meteorological sensor there recorded a temperature of about -73°C between 1950 and 1969, although wind chills can drop as low as -83.4°C.

The US Department of Interior claims that Mount Denali has only one species of amphibian, the wood frog, and no reptiles at all.

Klinck Station, Greenland at -69.6°C: Climate Detectives

The record for the coldest location in the Arctic Circle belongs to the Klinck weather station. It was in central Greenland, and in December 1991, it reached -69.6°C, beating the previous record of Oymyakon by around 2 degrees. Despite the cold, a large portion of Greenland's ice is melting quickly, New Scientist reports.

The coldest reading was validated, according to AP News, by so-called "climate detectives" working with the WMO's Archive of Weather and Climate Extremes in Geneva.