Earth records its LOWEST temperature in 14 years – as research station in Antarctica hits -84.1°C

A remote research station in Antarctica has recorded Earth’s lowest temperature in 14 years.

On July 18, temperatures at the Concordia research station plummeted to –84.1°C (–119.4°F).

According to raw data provided to LiveScience, temperatures at the station hit this new record low twice overnight, once at 6:25am and again at 6:34am local time.

That is the coldest temperature recorded anywhere on Earth since 2012, when temperatures at Russia’s Vostok Station in East Antarctica hit –84.2°C (−119.6°F)

The Concordia research station is perched 10,500 feet (3,200 metres) above sea level on top of a 10,800 ft (3,300 metres) ice cap, 600 miles (1,000 km) from the coast.

At this time of year, temperatures regularly fall below –80°C (–112°F), but this latest recording is still significantly colder than average.

Gabriele Carugati, the station leader at Concordia for Italy’s National Antarctic Research Program, told Live Science that this highlights ‘how variable Antarctic weather can still be’.

He said: ‘Even here, where extreme cold is expected, temperatures below minus 84°C are remarkable.’

Located high up on the Antarctic Plateau, the Concordia research station is one of the most extreme and remote human outposts on Earth.

The site’s incredible isolation and pristine environment make it a perfect location to study the Earth, the atmosphere, and outer space.

But once winter sets in, planes cannot fly to Concordia, and it is over 370 miles (600 kilometres) to the researchers’ nearest neighbours in Vostok Station.

That technically makes the crew here more isolated than astronauts on the International Space Station, which orbits just 250 miles (400 kilometres) above Earth.

Another consequence of Concordia’s unique location is that the station experiences some of the most extreme cold weather on Earth.

Mr Carugati says: ‘During winter, there is no sunlight for months, the atmosphere is extremely dry and stable, and under clear skies, heat continuously escapes to space because there are no clouds, allowing temperatures to fall to extraordinary levels.’

The coldest temperature ever recorded at Concordia research station was –84.7°C (–120.5°F), which was logged in the winter of 2010, according to the Italian Antarctic Meteo–Climatological Observatory.

However, the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth belongs to Russia’s Vostok weather station, where temperatures hit –89.2°C (–128.6°F) in July, 1983.

Meanwhile, studies suggest that temperatures could become even more absurdly frigid, as satellite data suggests the mercury could drop as low as –98°C (–144°F) in East Antarctica.

These ultra–cold extremes occur in shallow depressions near the highest part of the ice sheet, at around 13,290 feet (4,050 metres) above sea level.

Scientists think that this is about as cold as air can naturally become on Earth, even under the perfect conditions.

However, what makes this recent record–breaking freeze so surprising is that it comes as much of the rest of the world is sweltering in an unprecedented summer.

Western Europe has recorded the hottest June on record, and wildfires fuelled by hot, dry weather have raged in Canada, France, Spain, and Greece.

Even in Antarctica itself, there have been signs of extreme heat across the frozen continent.

Just weeks ago, Argentina’s Esperanza base on the Trinity Peninsula in Northern Antarctica recorded its hottest winter temperature ever at a balmy 15.4°C (59.7°F).

This comes as studies show that human–caused climate change is increasing the average temperature all around the world, including in Antarctica.

Last March, an extreme Antarctic heatwave drove temperatures at Concordia to -9.4°C (15.1°F).

That was the hottest temperature ever recorded and about 18°C (32°F) higher than the same time the previous March.

While it might seem strange to see a record low in the face of this overall trend, climate change’s effects are complex and often hard to predict.

Earth’s vast weather systems still determine local temperatures, meaning that somewhere can experience a very cold period even as the global average temperature rises.

Mr Carugati says: ‘Climate change describes the long–term global trends, while individual weather events can still [bring] exceptional cold.

‘Antarctica is influenced by complex atmospheric processes, so an extreme low temperature at one location does not contradict the broader picture of global warming.’