Where is the coldest place in the world. Where is the coldest place on Earth? Yakutsk is the coldest large city on Earth
Where is the coldest city in the world located? It's time for the hot summer that we've been waiting for so long. But don't you think that as soon as the temperature rises a little above 27 degrees, we start looking for shade in a panic and dream of getting cool at least for a few minutes? website compiled for you a list of the "coolest", coldest places on planet Earth.
10 Rogers Pass, Montana, USA
Rogers Pass is located at an altitude of 1710 meters above sea level near the border with Canada. On January 20, 1954, the temperature was recorded here -56.5°C. Apart from Alaska, this is the coldest temperature ever recorded in the US. In memory of this event, a sign was put up, which you see in the picture.
9 Fort Selkirk, Yukon, Canada
If you want to freeze thoroughly, choose the Canadian Fort Selkirk. Temperature was recorded here in 1950 -58.9°C. There are no roads here, and you can only get here by water or by helicopter. Low temperatures prevail in January.
8 Prospect Creek, Alaska, USA
We are returning to the US, but this time to Alaska. In the very center of Alaska is the small settlement of Prospect Creek, where on January 23, 1973, -62.1°C. How can they withstand it if, at a temperature of the order of -60 ° C, the liquid in the eyes begins to freeze?
7 Snug, Yukon, Canada
The village of Snag was founded during the gold rush and is currently uninhabited. In February 1947 the temperature here dropped to -63.9 °C. Coldly? It will be even colder soon.
6 Eismitte, Greenland
Everywhere there is ice, where you can't see ice, so it's not surprising that Eismitte means "among the ice" (eng. "mid-ice"). The record negative temperature was recorded during the expedition to Eismitte, and amounted to -64.9°C while the warmest day was -2.9°C
5 Northeys, Greenland
We remain in Greenland, which is 85% covered with ice. The lowest air temperature was observed here during a research expedition in 1952-1954. -66.0°C. The station was located at an altitude of 2341 meters above sea level. Recorded January 9, 1952.
4 Verkhoyansk, Russia
1434 inhabitants inhabit the town in Yakutia. The average annual temperature is -17°C, and the average January temperature -50°C. Record temperature was recorded here -67.7°C. Interestingly, in summer the temperature can rise by more than 100 degrees! before +30°C.
coldest places in the world
3 Oymyakon, Russia
With a population of 521 inhabitants, the village of Oymyakon is also located in Yakutia (eastern Siberia). In Yakut, the name "Oymyakon" means "non-freezing key". Where does such a connection come from? Not far from the village there are hot springs, which, despite temperatures above -71.1 °C (on January 26, 1926), made it possible to establish a settlement here. A high annual temperature range of 104°C (-71°C to +33°C) has also been reported. Oymyakon is the coldest city on earth.
Many people complain about severe frosts in winter. Yes, we sometimes have temperatures down to -30°C. It is really cold, but there are such frosts in which it seems impossible to survive. And yet there are people who live in such places all their lives. In this article, we will talk about places where the temperature drops below -55°C.
Station "Vostok"
The coldest point on earth is in Antarctica, or rather at the Vostok station. Here the most severe frosts: the temperature ranges from -32°C to -68°C, depending on the time of year. The warmest months at this point are December, January. At this time, the temperature is kept in the range - 30-40°C. The coldest time at the station is in August: the temperature drops to -65-68 °C. The record low temperature was recorded in 1923 -89°C. In January 2002, December was very warm -12°C. The thickness of the ice in this place reaches 4 meters.
Scientific research is being carried out at this station. Scientists study the nature, properties of this place, its climate. The composition of researchers in winter does not exceed 25 people, in summer - 40. Vostok works all year round and in any weather. Even if the temperature drops to the very minimum -80°C.
Since it is impossible to get to this place in the winter season, the shift change takes place in the summer. Also at this time of the year, products and materials necessary for scientific work are delivered.
Products are delivered by planes and a special sledge-caterpillar train
It is very difficult to be at the Vostok station. Not only severe frosts interfere, but also rarefied air and a small amount of oxygen. Acclimatization of new arrivals is accompanied by such signs as: dizziness, flickering in the eyes, nausea, sleep disturbance, pain in the joints and muscles, nosebleeds, loss of appetite and weight, suffocation, pain in the ears.
There is no life at this point, everything is so frozen. The water also lacks minerals and microorganisms. It is impossible to melt snow and drink it, as it does not quench thirst. To get their own food, scientists drilled a well.
Scientists who arrived at the station get used to the new conditions for a long time - two months
Frost elsewhere
But not only Antarctica is famous for its severe cold. There are several other points on earth where the temperature reaches 77°C below zero. They are located in different parts of the world: Russia, North and South America, Canada, Oceania, Australia, Antarctica. People also live or lived in them.
The second cold spot in the world is the Russian village of Oymyakon. It is located near Yakutia. The climate here is cold all year round: it is never warmer than 30°C below zero. On average, people live at -46°C. The frost record was set in 1938: the mercury column of the thermometer dropped to -78°C.
About 500 people live in this village. They cannot grow food here, so food is delivered to them by plane. True, only in the warm season. In winter, the weather in this village is so terrible that it is impossible to fly here.
In winter, the runway freezes, it is dangerous to use it
In the Yakut language, "Oymyakon" means "water that never freezes." Indeed, there are several hot springs near the village. There is practically no heating in this village. Gas is not supplied here, so people heat their houses with firewood. There is no mobile communication and other amenities that exist in other cities, but everyone has Wi-Fi.
The most interesting thing is that such severe frosts in Yakutia are only in winter. In summer it is really hot here: the temperature rises to +46°С. Unlike Antarctica, living creatures are still found here, however, in small quantities.
Residents of Oymyakon are engaged in animal husbandry: they breed deer and horses, sometimes they fish
Plateau, Antarctica
The third coldest point on Earth is Plateau Station in Antarctica. Owned by the United States of America. In the 60s of the XX century, scientific research was carried out here. The tests took place exactly 3 years. 8 people lived on the Plateau: four scientists and the same number of military men. Later, the government banned research in this region. However, for what reason, no one knows yet.
The frost record of this place is -72°С
Verkhoyansk
Another cold place in Russia is the town of Verkhoyansk. The lowest thermometer here fell in 1982 -70 ° C. 1200 people live in this town. The average temperature in this region is 45 degrees below zero. Together with the village of Oymyakon, he is fighting for the title of "The coldest city in the northern hemisphere."
For the citizens of Central Russia, the winter frosts of Verkhoyansk seem prohibitively cold. But the inhabitants of this city themselves tolerate the cold well. For them, frost is 55 degrees below zero.
The most interesting: daylight hours last only 1-5 hours a day. Residents pre-calculate the beginning of sunrise and sunset in order to schedule important events such as graduations, weddings, and so on.
It is extremely difficult to get to this place. Tourists do not come here, sometimes journalists make reports in this city. It is expensive to fly to this point: 32,600 rubles for a 2-hour flight. In summer, it is also impossible to get to Verkhoyansk because of bad roads: there is so much mud that even KAMAZ trucks cannot pass.
North America
After 1954, the North Ice research station was considered the coldest point in this region. It was located in Greenland. The temperature minimum at this point reached -66 °С. Before that, the coldest place in North America was the city of Snag. The thermometer dropped to -63 °C.
This is another cold spot in Greenland. Here was the station of the scientific expedition of the famous scientist Alfred Wegener. It was unusual, since all the rooms for living and working were completely built of ice.
In the 1930s, a group of scientists headed by Alfred Wegener went to this place. Her task was to study the climate of this area, meteorological features. Winters at this point are especially cold: the temperature is allowed up to -65 °C.
The name of the Eismitte station is translated as "in the middle of the ice"
Scientific research on the Greenland Ice Sheet has come at too high a cost. Two scientists (Rasmus Willumsen and Alfred Wegener) died of hypothermia. Another explorer lost his toes. The amputation had to be done in severe frost without painkillers. There were simply no such drugs at the station.
After this tragic incident, research in this place was stopped. And no one else came to the Icemitt. Today this station is completely destroyed.
McKinley
There is another very cold place on our Earth - Mount McKinley. It is located in Alaska. Earlier, when this land belonged to the Russian Empire, it had a different name - Big Mountain. Nobody lives here, but McKinley is the coldest mountain on our Earth.
It is located at the same latitude as the Vostok station. Located in Norway. In winter, the thermometer drops to -43°C. But unlike Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon, living conditions are much better here. It is difficult to get to this city by car, so the main intercity vehicle is an airplane. Inside the city, they use a helicopter and a snowmobile.
1100 people live in Longyearbyen
We talked about the coldest places on the planet. Not all of them are habitable, but in many cities people live all their lives. People eat in such conditions, mainly meat, as it gives a lot of energy and is quickly digested. Therefore, the main occupations of the inhabitants of the coldest cities are animal husbandry and cattle breeding.
Such places actively attract journalists and tourists. They have developed such types of entertainment as helicopter and airplane flights, big sledding and dog sledding. In some cities, you can bathe in a hot spring. For lovers of extreme sports there is such entertainment - underwater fishing. You can also ski down the mountains and take pictures of unusual nature.
The weather is changing again, and here's a look at some of the insanely cold places where people actually live.
The lowest ever recorded was minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-89.2°C) at a Russian research station in Antarctica, Vostok on July 21, 1983. And while most cities are not so terribly cold, some are still quite close to this mark. Below are the eight coldest cities in the world where people live.
1) Verkhoyansk, Russia
According to the 2002 census, Verkhoyansk, Russia has 1,434 inhabitants. It was founded as a fortress in 1638 and served as a regional center for livestock and gold mining. Located 650 kilometers from Yakutsk, another cold spot on our list, and 2,400 kilometers south of the North Pole, Verkhoyansk was used for political prisoners between 1860 and the early 20th century.
It's no wonder why the undesirables were sent here: in January, the average temperature is minus 50.4 degrees Fahrenheit (-45.7 ° C), and the average monthly temperature remains quite low from October to April. In 1892, residents recorded temperatures of minus 90 degrees F (-67.7 °C).
2) Oymyakon, Russia
People in Oymyakon object to Verkhoyansk being given the title of the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere, arguing that they recorded a temperature minimum of minus 90 degrees F (-67.7 °C) on February 6, 1933.
By the way, political prisoners were also often exiled here during the Stalinist regime. Oymyakon is a three-day drive from Yakutsk, with 500 to 800 people living there. There is no mobile service here, and there are few modern amenities in general, and the schools in the village do not close at -52°C. Travel companies offer tours to Oymyakon as the "ideal destination" for an exotic adventure.
3) International Falls, Minnesota.
It may not be as cold in International Falls, Minnesota as in Oymyakon, but it is one of the coldest places in the continental United States. Approximately 6,703 people live in International Falls (2000 census), which is on the border between the US and Canada.
Winters are long and cold, with an average January temperature of around 2.7 F (-16.2 °C). The mercury column will reach zero for more than 60 nights a year, and the area receives a lot of snow (166 cm). International Falls is at war with the city of Fraser, Colorado over the use of the trade name "refrigerator nation".
4) Frazier, Colorado.
Fraser, Colorado is located at an elevation of 2,600 meters in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and is home to 910 residents (2000 census). Located near the popular ski resort Winter Park, Fraser enjoys some of the coldest winters in the continental United States. The average annual temperature during the year reaches 32.5 degrees Fahrenheit (practically 0 °C), and in summer it drops to 29 degrees (-1.66 °C).
5) Yakutsk, Russia
Yakutsk has a reputation as the coldest city in the world. The world's lowest temperature outside of Antarctica was recorded near Yakutsk in the Yana River basin. In winter, the average low drops below -40 °C, starting in October and lasting until the end of April. In January, the average temperature reaches -34 degrees Fahrenheit (-36.6°C); the record low recorded temperature in January is minus 81.4 degrees Fahrenheit (-63 °C).
6) Hell, Norway
Hell, which means "hell" in Norway, has become famous for the very successful combination of its name and subarctic temperature. The average air temperature in February 2010 was on the order of 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6.6 °C). In recent years, the flow of tourists to this city has increased greatly, mainly to take pictures against one of the signs of the railway station.
Hell freezes, on average, for a third of the year, from December to March.
7) Barrow, Alaska
Barrow is the northernmost city in the United States and is only 2,100 kilometers south of the North Pole and 510 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. The small city, home to 4,581 people, was built in an area of permafrost that is characterized by a lack of periodic thawing and very harsh winters.
The sun sets at the end of November and does not appear until the end of January. Even during summer days the air is very cold. The average temperature doesn't rise until June, and even then barely - July averages a high of 40.4 degrees Fahrenheit (4.6 °C).
Barrow is the economic center of the North Slope and many of its residents work in the energy industry. The city can only be reached by plane or by sea.
8) Snedge, Canada
Located in the Yukon Territory, the village of Snej was the first settlement in the Klondike during the gold rush. A village in the White River Valley recorded its lowest temperature of minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit (-62.8 °C) on February 3, 1947. This is the lowest recorded temperature in continental North America. The average temperature in Snej ranges between 10.3 °F (-12.05°C) and 34.3 °F (1.2 °C).
Freeze in winter? Think it's too cold around here? Does the thought of the warm sun bring tears to your eyes? There are places where it is much, much colder, and yet people somehow exist there. How exactly do they live - in our top 10 coldest cities in the world. For all cities, a temperature winter record is indicated.
10. Harbin, China - minus 38.1°C
For the inhabitants of this city, even a harsh winter is a pleasure. Indeed, thanks to her, the International Snow and Ice Festival is held in Harbin. This is one of the largest ice festivals in the world. Ice sculptures are demonstrated there, swimming in the winter hole is organized, and skiing is held.
9. Longyearbyen, Norway - minus 46.3°C
In this settlement, located on the island of Western Svalbard, one of the. You can't be born and die here. Therefore, there is no maternity hospital or cemetery here. And the bodies of the dead people are transported to the mainland. Longyearbyen is also known for the fact that an underground World Seed Vault was built here at the insistence of the UN. It will come in handy in the event of a global catastrophe.
8. Barrow, USA - minus 47°C
Colds come to this American city unexpectedly (almost like to Russian utilities). Even yesterday, people were driving quietly, but today it is already necessary to use snowplows. Because of such temperature fluctuations, living in Barrow is quite difficult. However, this is what homo sapiens is famous for, which can adapt to almost any conditions.
7. Winnipeg, Canada - minus 47.8°C
One of the coldest places on the planet is the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba. The usual January lows there range from minus 20 to minus 22°C. And on December 24, 1879, the city temperature record was recorded - minus 47.8 ° C. It must have been an unpleasant day for the townspeople.
6. Yellowknife, Canada - minus 51°C
Founded in 1934, Yellowknife is the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories. It is home to over 20,000 people, most of them involved in the mining industry. The city boasts long and clear winter nights, which provide optimal conditions for viewing the Northern Lights from mid-November to early April.
5. Dudinka, Russia - minus 61°C
One of the northernmost cities in the world regularly faces extreme winter conditions. The average daily minimum temperature in January is minus 33 degrees Celsius.
This city is home to the world's only ice stadium beyond the Arctic Circle - the Taimyr Ice Arena.
4. Norilsk, Russia - minus 64°C
Norilsk has never had a mild climate. In winter, it often reaches minus 40 degrees. However, in 2014, a new temperature minimum was recorded there - 64 ° C below zero. Interestingly, Norilsk and Murmansk are located almost at the same latitude. However, Murmansk is noticeably warmer.
3. Yakutsk, Russia - minus 64.4°C
The first three coldest cities on Earth are opened by the capital of the Republic of Sakha. It is famous for its very harsh winter conditions. The most extreme temperatures occur in January, with an average ranging from minus 38°C to minus 41°C. In 1891, a temperature record was set with a minus sign (64°C below zero).
In addition, the winter season in Yakutsk may start much earlier than in other cities of the world.
2. Verkhoyansk, Russia - minus 67.7°C
Technically, this city can be considered the coldest on Earth, since the leader of our list is a village. There are few residents in Verkhoyansk - 1131 people as of 2017. And this is understandable, there are few who want to live in a place that bears the title "Cold Pole of the Northern Hemisphere".
1. Oyamkon, Russia - minus 71.2°C
Here is the answer to the question of which place is the coldest on Earth. The average winter temperature in Oymyakon is minus 50°C. And the lowest recorded temperature is an amazing -71.2 degrees. True, almost a century separates it from our time; it was measured in 1924. For comparison: the air warms up to 70 degrees.
Why is Oymyakon the coldest city in the world?
The reason is the geographical location of the village, which was unlucky for several reasons at once. It is located in a river valley surrounded by mountains that form something like a horseshoe. The open top of the arc points north. At night, dense and heavy cold air flows down from the mountains and accumulates in the depression where the village is located.
The height above sea level also plays a role: as a rule, the higher the place, the colder it is. Summer in the village is short, only three months, but hot, with large temperature fluctuations; if during the day it can be plus 30 ° C, then at night the air cools down to minus.
The irony lies in the very name "Oymyakon". It comes from an Evenki word meaning a non-freezing spring, or a place where fish spend the winter. There is indeed a spring near the village, because of which, apparently, local residents began to settle here. They quickly got used to low temperatures.
-40°C is considered cold, but not too cold. -25°C - unusually warm. It helps to adapt to the cold and the fact that the weather is usually calm - with it it is easier to endure cold. Locals even say that they prefer to live here, and not where the winters are more moderate, but windy and wet. They measure the temperature with special thermometers with a mercury-thallium alloy so that the mercury does not freeze. Their maximum minimum temperature is minus 61.1°C.
At such temperatures, the simplest actions like taking a child to kindergarten or school, going to the store turn into a whole quest. Usually, the inhabitants of Oymyakon during the "winter" months try to go out less - only to the grocery store, quickly, quickly, wrapping themselves in a scarf and additionally pressing a mitten to their face.
But residents of Yakutsk, located two days away, have to call a taxi, or travel only by private transport. By the way, frost is no excuse for Oymyakon children to miss school - it works down to -52°C.
What clothes save from frost in Oymyakon
Locals dress, of course, in furs - the more natural and thicker, the better. Fur hats, high boots (made of leather and deer fur), mittens, and, of course, a scarf over the whole face to protect the skin from burns. Faux fur is not suitable from the word at all. In the cold, it quickly becomes unusable, and sometimes literally breaks.
Children to attend kindergarten are wrapped up to such an extent that they are practically unable to move independently - only eyebrows and eyes are visible. Therefore, parents carry them on sleds, and the fur blanket that is laid on these sleds is pre-warmed.
Nutrition
It is impossible to grow crops in permafrost conditions, so the locals mainly eat dense protein foods. Stroganina has firmly settled in the menu, like many centuries ago, among the indigenous peoples of the North. This is shavings from a frozen piece of meat or fish. And the daily menu most often consists of a thick soup with the same meat or fish. In such a climate, local residents do not need refrigerators, because everything is stored right outside the window.
Pets
The inhabitants of Oymyakon keep cattle, but in such cold weather they try not to let them out. In winter, only hardy Yakut horses (they are covered with a long thick six) and dogs are let out on the street. Cows, on the other hand, see the white winter light only in case of emergency, and then they specially wrap their udders so that they do not freeze.
Utility services
Permafrost, extreme low temperatures and sewerage are incompatible things, so most of the toilets in Oymyakon are outside the houses. Oymyakon is provided with heat by a local coal-fired thermal power plant. Its condition, as well as the central heating in the city of Yakutsk, located two days away, is being checked already in June. Then they replace the pipes, if necessary.
Power outages are the worst thing that can happen in the Far North. If this happens, all Oymyakon residents take to the streets and try to heat the most necessary buildings for the village with burners - a kindergarten, a single store, a canteen. The pipes had to be dug out and warmed by hand to keep them from freezing. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often.
Transport
There are two ways to get from Yakutsk to Oymyakon - either by car or by air. Planes fly only during the warmest time of the year, in summer, and no more than once a week. Therefore, the main connection with the world is carried out through road transport. The classic UAZ “loaf” is considered the most enduring, capable of overcoming more than a thousand kilometers of a crusted ice and snow highway without any special consequences for itself.
Cars in the Far North require special, careful handling. Drivers often place a wool blanket over the hood and another under it to "warm up" the engine and electrics. The windows of cars in the north are double-glazed to prevent ice crusts. If the car is outside, it must be kept at idle. It can only be stopped in a heated garage. If you stop the engine in the open air, the battery will instantly freeze and it will be impossible to start the car. Therefore, if suddenly the engine stalls somewhere outside the city, you have to thaw the battery over the fire and, in addition, heat the metal casing under the engine.
Carriers for long distances do not turn off the engines of their iron horses for literally months. Due to the harsh northern conditions, the vast majority of gas stations in the Yakutsk region operate 24 hours a day.
Constantly running car engines, breathing of people and steam from working industrial enterprises create a dense veil that covers Yakutsk in the coldest time of the year. Sometimes it is so thick that nothing can be seen at a distance of ten steps.
Gadgets
It is better not to get small electronics in the conditions of the Far North on the street, because they instantly turn into a piece of ice. Therefore, the owners keep them in their inner pockets, warming them with the heat of their own bodies, and take them out only in heated rooms. Taking pictures in such sub-zero temperatures is very difficult.
Disease and death
Surprisingly, in such extreme colds, colds do not happen. Viruses and bacteria simply freeze out. Freezing something is easy, but catching a cold is not. However, this is not as good as it seems, and if a resident of Oymyakon moves to warmer climes, he risks constantly catching a cold.
The harsh climate is a great test for the human body, so there are almost no long-livers among the inhabitants of the Far North. In addition to extreme temperatures, vitamin deficiencies and a monotonous diet play a role. Eternal winter affects both the beginning and the end of human life - in the freezing cold it is impossible to dig up a grave, so if one of the inhabitants of the village dies, the earth has to be warmed with fires.
How do the locals feel about this climate?
Autumn in the Far North is the saddest time of the year. The short summer is over, and a long and very cold winter lies ahead. However, when it finally comes, and the dull slush is covered with fresh snow, white and clean, the inhabitants of the Yakut region seem to rejoice at the arrival of cold weather. Complaints are usually caused not by the frost itself as such, but by the poor performance of utilities - if the heating does not work or an accident has occurred. Much more criticism is caused by heat - starting from June, northerners accustomed to cold weather begin to complain about the heat.
True, in recent years, the inhabitants of Yakutia (those who can afford it) prefer to wait out the winter in warmer places. For example, in Thailand, there is a direct air line between Yakutsk and Bangkok. And their places are occupied by tourists - amazingly, Oymyakon is becoming a popular place for those who like to feel the bestial grin of real cold.
How does cold affect the human body?
- At minus 5°C, frost invigorates rather than causes inconvenience - to protect yourself from it, just put on a warm hat, wrap your throat with a scarf, and you will be warm and comfortable.
- At minus 20 °, moisture in the nasal mucosa begins to freeze, and cold air burns the nasopharynx.
- At minus 35°C, frostbite on exposed skin is a very real danger.
- And at minus 45 ° C, only a masochist can wear glasses in a metal frame - the metal sticks to the cheekbones and nose, and you will have to take off the glasses along with pieces of skin.
Do you know where there is such a temperature from which a person’s eyes can freeze? And TravelAsk knows and will certainly tell you.
Chilling soul and body Antarctica
The coldest place on the entire Earth as a whole is the Russian Vostok station. Here was recorded the lowest temperature in the history of meteorological observations. The thermometer dropped to -89.2 degrees. It happened on July 21, 1983.
At this temperature, a person's eyes and lungs can freeze.
Is there life in Antarctica?
Well, of course there is:
But people live here too. Approximately 25 people are constantly at Vostok station throughout the year. In winter, the number of researchers usually decreases to 13 people.
Naturally, frosts down to -90 degrees are here not all year round. The average temperature of the coldest month - August is -68 degrees, and the warmest - December - about -31 degrees. There are also records here, almost heat. So, on January 11, 2002, the temperature rose to -12.2 degrees.
The situation is aggravated not only by low temperatures: the station is located at an altitude of 3 kilometers above sea level, so there is almost zero air humidity, as well as a lack of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Acclimatization to such natural conditions lasts at least 3 months. And these three months are hellish: polar explorers experience frequent dizziness and flickering in the eyes, ear pain, nosebleeds, a feeling of suffocation and a sharp increase in pressure, loss of sleep and loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, pain in the joints and muscles, weight loss from three up to five kilograms, and respiratory arrest and loss of consciousness may also occur. The average annual wind speed here is about 5 m/s, the maximum is 27 m/s (almost 100 km/h). Precipitation is practically non-existent here. But the polar explorers do not lose heart.
Everything you need is brought in by plane in the summer. In winter, the station "Vostok" is practically cut off from the world: here you can only arrange delivery by sledge-caterpillar train.
There were more difficult times in the life of polar explorers. So, the wintering of 1982 was really heroic: on the night of April 13, a fire broke out at the station, because of which the main and backup diesel generators failed. "Vostok" remained de-energized. For 8 months, 20 people warmed themselves with home-made diesel stoves, until a sledge-caterpillar train with a new diesel-electric installation arrived from another Russian Antarctic station, Mirny.
What do the "inhabitants" of Antarctica do?
There are many unexplored areas in the coldest place on the planet. It is understandable: extreme temperatures do not contribute to the rapid pace of work. However, scientists believe that it is Antarctica that is the main key to unraveling the cosmos.
The fact is that not far from the station is Lake Vostok, which is covered with a 4-kilometer layer of ice. It is assumed that its area is 15.5 thousand square kilometers.
Just imagine: it has been separated from the life of the planet for the last few million years. Therefore, it is likely that there are other forms of life there, and evolution took place differently on its territory. After all, oxygen in the lake passes through the ice, and the water in it is quite warm: 7-10 degrees. And so there might be life. By the way, about 40 species of bacteria that have not been previously studied have already been found in the lake.
And Lake Vostok is the key to space. The fact is that in the solar system there are several celestial bodies with similar formations and atmospheric conditions: for example, Jupiter's satellite Europa. Accordingly, it is possible that there are similar bacteria and animal organisms. Therefore, this is a whole project to search for extraterrestrial life.
Antarctica or Yakutia
Asia is in second place in terms of its frosts. The most record temperature in a residential area was recorded in the village of Oymyakon in Yakutia. It was -71.2 degrees. Although there is unofficial data that in 1938 the temperature here dropped to -77.8 degrees.
So, if we compare the height above sea level of the village of Oymyakon and the Antarctic station "Vostok", then Oymyakon can be considered the coldest place on Earth. The village is located at an altitude of 740 meters above sea level. If we bring both temperature indicators to sea level, then in Oymyakon it will be -77.6 degrees and at the Vostok station it will be only -68.3 degrees.
In third place is the largest island in North America - Greenland. At the research station "Northern Ice" on January 9, 1954, a record was recorded: -66.1 degrees.