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What would the climate of Antarctica be if you spun Antarctica around so the Antarctic peninsula was at 70°E longitude and then shifted it North 20 degrees latitude so the Esperanza base was at 43°S. What would the climate of the continent be like? Would it be habitable? How would it affect ocean currents and climates of other continents if the other continents stayed where they are?
Do you mean 70W? 70E isn't a very big change from what it is now.
Good question either way though. I would expect an insane amount of snowfall at higher elevations, especially if it is 70W.
With no substantial landmass at the south pole, I wonder how cold the winters of Australia and this repositioned Antarctica would be and also what the sea ice at the south pole would be like.
Do you mean 70W? 70E isn't a very big change from what it is now.
Good question either way though. I would expect an insane amount of snowfall at higher elevations, especially if it is 70W.
With no substantial landmass at the south pole, I wonder how cold the winters of Australia and this repositioned Antarctica would be and also what the sea ice at the south pole would be like.
It would basically be a big change for the location of the Antarctic peninsula. The peninsula would basically be at the same longitude as the Kerguelen Islands with the continent shifted north. I'm interested to know what the climate stats would be like at somewhere like Esperanza base (43S) in this scenario - Christchurch, NZ but with more cold snaps in winter?
From having a quick look on Google Earth virtual globe it seems that a newly positioned Antarctica with the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula at 43S would then at it's most extreme southerly point still sit somewhere near or over the South Pole as I think Antarctica's current latitudinal span at it's greatest point is around 50 degrees of latitude. It looks like it would still comfortably remain a separate continental landmass situated between Madagascar and Australia but to the south of these.
I'd say at least the northern tip of Antarctic Peninsula would be habitable year-round though probably like Reykyavik perhaps a little warmer in summer but cooler than Christchurch. It's oceanic location would protect it somewhat from polar outbreaks and it would remain ice free, perhaps the entire peninsula down to Marie Byrd Land would at least be seasonally free of ice though would still be subject to extreme polar outbreaks making it uninhabitable still. I think there might be less sea ice coverage over the Antarctic as a whole because of the relatively low latitude location of the peninsula, which would lead to less albedo and it could possibly raise global temperatures as a result. The Indian Ocean would probably be a lot cooler as well so lands bordering here and SE Asia might become a lot cooler and drier. Then there is also the issue of how it would affect the roaring forties, general circulation patterns and ocean currents.
All a bit of a stab in the dark I know, but it's interesting to speculate anyway.
^^I'd be fairly confident trees could grow at 43S on the Antarctic peninsula assuming my scenario. Summer maximums averaging around 18C / 65F, winter temperatures rarely dropping below -10C / 15F
^^I'd be fairly confident trees could grow at 43S on the Antarctic peninsula assuming my scenario. Summer maximums averaging around 18C / 65F, winter temperatures rarely dropping below -10C / 15F
So then you think the tip of the peninsula would be more like Invercargill, NZ ?
I'm thinking the whole of Antartica would still be ice covered; the ice would flow to cover the warm regions and get replenished from the south. And the ice would cause a lot of local cooling.
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