Ultralow Surface Temperatures in East Antarctica From Satellite Thermal Infrared Mapping: The Coldest Places on Earth

T. A. Scambos; G. G. Campbell; A. Pope; T. Haran; A. Muto; M. Lazzara; C. H. Reijmer; M. R. van den Broeke

doi:10.1029/2018GL078133

Ultralow Surface Temperatures in East Antarctica From Satellite Thermal Infrared Mapping: The Coldest Places on Earth

T. A. Scambos^*
, G. G. Campbell
, A. Pope
, T. Haran
, A. Muto
, M. Lazzara
, C. H. Reijmer
, M. R. van den Broeke

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

We identify areas near the East Antarctic ice divide where <−90 °C surface snow temperatures are observed in wintertime satellite thermal-band data under clear-sky conditions. The lowest temperatures are found in small (<200 km²) topographic basins of ~2 m depth above 3,800 m elevation. Approximately 100 sites have observed minimum surface temperatures of ~−98 °C during the winters of 2004–2016. Comparisons of surface snow temperatures with near-surface air temperatures at nearby weather stations indicate that ~−98 °C surfaces imply ~−94 ± 4 °C 2-m air temperatures. Landsat 8 thermal band data and elevation data show gradients near the topographic depressions of ~6 °C km⁻¹ horizontally and ~4 °C m⁻¹ vertically. Ultralow temperature occurrences correlate with strong polar vortex circulation. We discuss a conceptual model of radiative surface cooling that produces an extreme inversion layer. Further cooling occurs as near-surface cold air pools in shallow high-elevation topographic basins, moderated by clear-air downwelling radiation and heat from subsurface snow.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	6124-6133
Number of pages	10
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	45
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL078133
Publication status	Published - 28 Jun 2018

Funding

Land surface thermal emission data used in this study (MOD11 and MYD11 and Collection 6) are available from, for example, https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ data/dataprod/mod11.php. Weather station data used here are available from Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Physics and Astronomy Department, Utrecht University, the National Center for Environmental Information, and the Australian Antarctic Data Centre at https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/ records/DomeA_AWS. Landsat imagery is available from https://earthexplorer. usgs.gov. This research was supported by USGS award G12PC00066 and NASA awards NNX14AM54G and NNX14AH79G to T.A.S. and NSF ANT-154335 to M.A.L. We thank Craig Kulessa and Michael Ashley for informative discussions based on their data from Ridge A in East Antarctica.

Keywords

air temperature inversion
Antarctica
remote sensing
snow and ice
surface temperature
thermal mapping

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title = "Ultralow Surface Temperatures in East Antarctica From Satellite Thermal Infrared Mapping: The Coldest Places on Earth",

abstract = "We identify areas near the East Antarctic ice divide where <−90 °C surface snow temperatures are observed in wintertime satellite thermal-band data under clear-sky conditions. The lowest temperatures are found in small (<200 km2) topographic basins of \textasciitilde{}2 m depth above 3,800 m elevation. Approximately 100 sites have observed minimum surface temperatures of \textasciitilde{}−98 °C during the winters of 2004–2016. Comparisons of surface snow temperatures with near-surface air temperatures at nearby weather stations indicate that \textasciitilde{}−98 °C surfaces imply \textasciitilde{}−94 ± 4 °C 2-m air temperatures. Landsat 8 thermal band data and elevation data show gradients near the topographic depressions of \textasciitilde{}6 °C km−1 horizontally and \textasciitilde{}4 °C m−1 vertically. Ultralow temperature occurrences correlate with strong polar vortex circulation. We discuss a conceptual model of radiative surface cooling that produces an extreme inversion layer. Further cooling occurs as near-surface cold air pools in shallow high-elevation topographic basins, moderated by clear-air downwelling radiation and heat from subsurface snow.",

keywords = "air temperature inversion, Antarctica, remote sensing, snow and ice, surface temperature, thermal mapping",

author = "Scambos, \{T. A.\} and Campbell, \{G. G.\} and A. Pope and T. Haran and A. Muto and M. Lazzara and Reijmer, \{C. H.\} and \{van den Broeke\}, \{M. R.\}",

year = "2018",

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doi = "10.1029/2018GL078133",

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journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

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T2 - The Coldest Places on Earth

AU - Scambos, T. A.

AU - Campbell, G. G.

AU - Pope, A.

AU - Haran, T.

AU - Muto, A.

AU - Lazzara, M.

AU - Reijmer, C. H.

AU - van den Broeke, M. R.

PY - 2018/6/28

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N2 - We identify areas near the East Antarctic ice divide where <−90 °C surface snow temperatures are observed in wintertime satellite thermal-band data under clear-sky conditions. The lowest temperatures are found in small (<200 km2) topographic basins of ~2 m depth above 3,800 m elevation. Approximately 100 sites have observed minimum surface temperatures of ~−98 °C during the winters of 2004–2016. Comparisons of surface snow temperatures with near-surface air temperatures at nearby weather stations indicate that ~−98 °C surfaces imply ~−94 ± 4 °C 2-m air temperatures. Landsat 8 thermal band data and elevation data show gradients near the topographic depressions of ~6 °C km−1 horizontally and ~4 °C m−1 vertically. Ultralow temperature occurrences correlate with strong polar vortex circulation. We discuss a conceptual model of radiative surface cooling that produces an extreme inversion layer. Further cooling occurs as near-surface cold air pools in shallow high-elevation topographic basins, moderated by clear-air downwelling radiation and heat from subsurface snow.

AB - We identify areas near the East Antarctic ice divide where <−90 °C surface snow temperatures are observed in wintertime satellite thermal-band data under clear-sky conditions. The lowest temperatures are found in small (<200 km2) topographic basins of ~2 m depth above 3,800 m elevation. Approximately 100 sites have observed minimum surface temperatures of ~−98 °C during the winters of 2004–2016. Comparisons of surface snow temperatures with near-surface air temperatures at nearby weather stations indicate that ~−98 °C surfaces imply ~−94 ± 4 °C 2-m air temperatures. Landsat 8 thermal band data and elevation data show gradients near the topographic depressions of ~6 °C km−1 horizontally and ~4 °C m−1 vertically. Ultralow temperature occurrences correlate with strong polar vortex circulation. We discuss a conceptual model of radiative surface cooling that produces an extreme inversion layer. Further cooling occurs as near-surface cold air pools in shallow high-elevation topographic basins, moderated by clear-air downwelling radiation and heat from subsurface snow.

KW - air temperature inversion

KW - Antarctica

KW - remote sensing

KW - snow and ice

KW - surface temperature

KW - thermal mapping

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DO - 10.1029/2018GL078133

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85049841492

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 45

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JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 12

ER -

Ultralow Surface Temperatures in East Antarctica From Satellite Thermal Infrared Mapping: The Coldest Places on Earth

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