Scientists recently set out to answer a seemingly straightforward question
“Where is the coldest place on Earth?”
They found that there really is no single “coldest place”
But a region near the highest part of East Antarctica's ice plateau has areas that reliably reach the limit for Earth’s lowest temperature
Air temperatures in this region can be as low as -94°C or -138°F
But only when conditions are just right
The sky has to be clear, and the air extremely dry
which allows the heat to radiate from the snow into space until it reaches nearly -140°F
at this level, heat radiating back from the clear air itself slows the cooling to a standstill
When these conditions occur near the highest part of the Antarctic ice sheet
they lay the foundation for the lowest naturally occurring temperatures possible on Earth
Scambos, et al. Ultralow Surface Temperatures in East Antarctica From Satellite Thermal Infrared Mapping: The Coldest Places on Earth. (2018) Geophysical Research Letters