Our planet holds many secrets. Exploring some of its secrets, a person, it would seem, has long reached the very essence, but more and more new mysteries are being discovered around.
Severe frost is one of those phenomena that humanity has always studied with great interest. Poles, so inaccessible and at the same time rich and generous, have always attracted the desperate and the brave.
In our article we will look at some of the coldest places in the world and talk about their inhabitants, as well as touch on the issue of survival in severe frost. Some of the most interesting facts will help you get the most complete picture of record low temperatures.
World record
Many people remember from school that the most severe frost was recorded at the Russian Vostok station in Antarctica. This place cannot be included in the rating of the coldest cities in the world, since it is not a settlement at all. However, people live there permanently (in shifts), conducting research.
The absolute record recorded on planet Earth,was -89.2 degrees. This happened on July 21, 1989, and since then such a temperature has never been recorded.
The most severe frosts in history
People began to observe weather conditions and the weather for a long time. However, in ancient times, of course, there were no precise instruments that would allow an objective assessment of the situation. The ancestors left us only subjective judgments about those days when the frost was especially fierce.
There are a lot of testimonies left. For example, it is known that in 856 the Adriatic Sea completely froze over. 1010 was abnormally cold even for Egypt - the Nile was covered with ice. The severe frost that raged in Italy in 1210 froze even the canals of Venice. The frosts of 1322 made it possible to build a sleigh route between Germany and Denmark right along the B altic Sea. And after 4 years, the ice captured the Mediterranean Sea, which usually does not freeze even off the coast. The year 1709 became a record cold for the inhabitants of France. According to contemporaries, the temperature was -24 for several months. During the ringing, church bells cracked, and wines froze in the cellars. In 1953-1954, frosts fettered almost all of Eurasia; from France to the Urals, temperatures were record low for more than five months. Reservoirs froze, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov was completely covered with ice. A fierce winter returned to Europe after a decade, turning the rivers of Italy and France into an icy mirror.
Of course, Russia has also experienced many cold winters. Not without reason, among those who came to her with the war, there were legends about General Frost, who is fightingon the side of the Russians. But for the indigenous population, frosts are so familiar that the ice-bound river has never seemed a curiosity worthy of mention in the annals of history. Moreover, if during the most severe frosts of the year (Epiphany) the reservoir is covered with ice, an ice hole is made in it so that you can swim!
In Search of the Capital of Cold
Some Russian cities are on the list of the coldest in the world. Residents not only do not tend to leave the snow-covered cities and towns en masse, but also try to defend the right to call their small homeland the capital of the cold.
One of the main contenders for this title is the Russian Oymyakon. In this city there are severe frosts 9 months a year. The record temperature of -71.2 was recorded in the 29th year of the last century. In these parts -40 Celsius is not considered an out of the ordinary event. The population of Oymyakon is small, about 600 people. Interestingly, the name is translated from the local dialect as "non-freezing water". Ordinary water there, of course, freezes, but the settlement owes its name to hot springs gushing out of the ground. You can find them even during and after severe frosts. Oymyakon can safely be awarded the title of "The coldest settlement." An even lower average annual temperature prevails in the village of Deyankyr, also located in Yakutia.
Oymyakon's main competitor is the city of Verkhoyansk. The recorded temperature of -69, 8 degrees is considered a serious bid for victory. The history of the city began with a settlement for exiles. Is it possiblecome up with a punishment as terrible as exile into eternal winter? Once upon a time, unwanted people were sent here, and today at least 1,4 thousand people live in Verkhoyansk, apparently happy with their fate and loving their harsh native land. Residents of Verkhoyansk deserve the right to call their small homeland the coldest city.
Many other settlements that are on the list of the most frosty are quite small. Therefore, Irkutsk, with a population of 250,000, is in our top list as the coldest of the large cities of administrative significance.
Other coldest places
Many settlements are located on the coast and islands of the Arctic Ocean. Severe frost is habitual for the population employed mainly in defense, research and mining enterprises. We are talking not only about Russia, but also the countries of Scandinavia, American Alaska, Greenland. A harsh climate also prevails in some mountainous regions (for example, in Mongolia and Kazakhstan). But the temperature there rarely drops below 40, so they cannot compete with Antarctica and the Arctic.
Permafrost
On the northern banks of the Vilyui River in Siberia in February 1982, scientists recorded a record permafrost. Its depth exceeded 1370 meters. There are thick layers of ice that never melts on the Taimyr Peninsula. In places, their depth reaches 600 meters.
Fauna and flora of the most frosty places on the planet
Surprisingly, the regions with the most severe climate are not lifeless at all. Why don't severe frosts scare animals and birds?There are a number of protective properties that the living creatures inhabiting the regions of eternal winter possess. This is thick waterproof fur and feathers, a powerful layer of subcutaneous fat, special thermoregulation.
The fauna of the Arctic is quite diverse. Several species of mammals live in these parts: polar bears, walruses, arctic foxes and wolves, deer, lemmings, narwhals, whales and killer whales. The number of northern birds is also great, and the cold seas are rich in fish. There are a huge number of penguins in Antarctica (there are none in the northern hemisphere).
In Antarctica, already a few hundred miles from the South Pole, you can find lichens and mosses. They are also distributed at the opposite pole of the planet. The dominating position is occupied by the reindeer moss. Some large plants also tolerate severe cold: birch, coniferous trees. And during the short summer in the Far North, you can even see flowers. Huge adaptive potential allows northern plants to survive a long frosty winter. They do not die even in severe frosts and wait for the thaw to catch their portion of the sun's rays.
How to survive in the bitter cold?
Severe frost is especially dangerous for those who grew up in mild climates. What is familiar to northerners can play a fatal role for an unprepared person. To protect yourself from frostbite, everyone needs to know a few simple rules. After all, as we already know, severe frosts sometimes occur even in warm regions.
Firstly, the use of alcohol "for warming up" is unacceptable. Alcohol in no way prevents hypothermia, but only contributes to it, creating a short-term illusion of warmth. Secondly, due to the need to work outdoors during severe frosts, it is worth alternating with periods of rest in a warm room. If you suspect frostbite of the limbs and face, warm the victim with dry heat and immediately send to the hospital. Do not hope that the disease will go away by itself. Properly organized regular hardening is of no small importance in the prevention of hypothermia. The choice of clothing should also be taken seriously.
Photos of the coldest places on the planet show how beautiful these lands are. For true connoisseurs, even the most severe frosts do not prevent them from admiring their harsh beauty.
