Britannica
Sources used in this answer
- What Is the Coldest Temperature Ever Recorded on Earth?
- Antarctica - Climate of Antarctica
- Antarctic Circumpolar Current
- ocean current - The Antarctic Circumpolar Current
- iceberg - Impact on ocean structure
- glacier - Climatic conditions
- Indian Ocean - Subantarctic and Antarctic zone
- iceberg - Impacts on ice sheets and sea level
Why does the Antarctic Peninsula have warmer temperatures than inland Antarctica?
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Antarctica
Paradise Bay, Antarctica.
The Antarctic Peninsula experiences warmer temperatures than the interior of Antarctica primarily due to maritime influences.12
While the interior of the continent is characterized by a high, frigid polar plateau that intensifies its extreme climate, the peninsula is surrounded by the ocean, which acts as a moderating factor. These maritime influences help keep temperatures on the peninsula significantly higher than those found in the continental interior, where mean winter temperatures can drop as low as −94 °F (−70 °C).12
In contrast, midsummer temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula can reach up to 59 °F (15 °C), making it the warmest part of the continent.12