Climate
The climate is classified as polar, and the weather is highly variable and harsh. Typical daily maximum temperatures at Summit Camp are around −35 °C (−31 °F) in winter (January) and −10 °C (14 °F) in summer (July). Winter minimum temperatures are typically about −45 °C (−49 °F) and only rarely exceed −20 °C (−4 °F). Annual precipitation is about 3,000 mm (118.1 in), much of which falls as sleet or snow, which is possible in any month. Inland, the snow line in summer is at an altitude of about 300 m (984 ft). The highest temperature at Summit Camp was 3.6 °C (38.5 °F), recorded on July 16, 2012; the lowest recorded temperature is −67.2 °C (−89.0 °F).
| Climate data for Automatic Weather Station (AWS), Summit Camp, Greenland Ice Sheet. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −36 (−33) |
−38 (−36) |
−32 (−26) |
−29 (−20) |
−19 (−2) |
−11 (12) |
−11 (12) |
−14 (7) |
−22 (−8) |
−28 (−18) |
−28 (−18) |
−36 (−33) |
−25.3 (−13.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −43 (−45) |
−42 (−44) |
−41 (−42) |
−33 (−27) |
−23 (−9) |
−15 (5) |
−13 (9) |
−16 (3) |
−26 (−15) |
−34 (−29) |
−36 (−33) |
−40 (−40) |
−30.2 (−22.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −48 (−54) |
−46 (−51) |
−45 (−49) |
−40 (−40) |
−30 (−22) |
−19 (−2) |
−15 (5) |
−21 (−6) |
−29 (−20) |
−39 (−38) |
−42 (−44) |
−48 (−54) |
−35.2 (−31.2) |
| Source: | |||||||||||||
In July 2012, satellite imagery showed there was an "unprecedented" melt of the Greenland ice sheet. In just four days from 8 July, the area of thawed surface ice grew from 40% to almost 97% of the entire ice sheet surface.
Read more about this topic: Summit Camp
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