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Even at the height of summer, McMurdo's average high temperature remains below freezing, and there are nearly 5 feet of snow in an average year. They are covered by snow almost all year, but between mid December and early February there is often no snow on the ground, and the bare rock/gravel that the station sits on shows. In the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the precipitation is near zero and katabatic winds scour the landscape, but McMurdo Station is covered by snow 10-11 months out of the year. What melts the snow the other 1-2 months of year? Albedo from the dark rock? Above-average temperature days? Snow blowing away in the wind?
Well, it's probably due to the combination of various factors.
Above-average spells is probably one of the leading factors, and that 2011 winter may have been a warm one with a lot of above-freezing days.
The constant sunlight is probably another important factor. You have to remember that substantial amounts of snow can melt and sublimate away even in well-below freezing conditions, as long as the sunlight and the wind is strong enough. The constant sunlight at McMurdo probably helps a lot: even at -4c powdery snow will melt quite a bit under a strong sun.
Sublimation is also a stronger force than many people realize: try keeping a bunch of ice cubes in your freezer for several months (untouched) and you'll notice the ice start to erode away despite the -20c temps and stationary air. At mcmurdo the tremendous wind and near-freezing summer temps might probably exacerbate that effect to a great extent during the summer (though it's just a guess).
Then you have to consider that a very small amount actually falls in mcmurdo even in those warmer months, so when it melts there's not much to replace it.
LOL @ all those people dressed so warmly in that picture in December. Is that girl seriously wearing a beanie? Sunny and a temperature slightly below or above freezing is T-shirt weather for any true Canadian, never mind an "Antarctican". They are not true Antarcticans, that's for sure.
LOL @ all those people dressed so warmly in that picture in December. Is that girl seriously wearing a beanie? Sunny and a temperature slightly below or above freezing is T-shirt weather for any true Canadian, never mind an "Antarctican". They are not true Antarcticans, that's for sure.
The sun is pretty damn weak at the poles m8
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