Several parts of Antartica are cold deserts. Most of Antarctica is covered with high elevations of ice. However, no anaimls live at the top, because they are too far away from the food source, which is the ocean. The ice holds about seventy five percent of the world's fresh water supply. Even though it is covered in ice, it is one of the driest plaves on earth. Antarctica almost doubles in size evry year when the sea ice forms. there is one place called the Dry Valley, where no ice is found. The high mountains prevent the glaciers from coming into the valley, and strong winds keep most of the snow fall out of the valley. There isn't much life there, but there are cyano bacteria there. They can stay dormant for hundreds of years. When there is enough water, they revive themselves and use photosynthesis for food. Also, the only river in the Dry Valley is the Onyx River. However, it only flows during the summer. When it does flow, it has beautiful, clean water. Antarctica even has active volcanoes. One of these is Mount Erebus.
Do you think that you could survive in the Dry Valley in the summer?
Sources: Arctic Tundra and Polar Deserts,
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