Ushuaia
Most Antarctica cruise ships start at Ushuaia. The climate here is ocean-moderated mild tundra but the temperatures are quite nice year round with daily means from 9.5°C to 2.5°C in the winter. Very impressive views around the city as it’s surrounded by mountais and especially nice view departing the harbour.
Thoughts on Antarctica
A place at the end of the world. Note I know nothing about penguins so I will only cover meteorology.
Extreme latitudes results in interesting climates and we have everything here:
- High speed winds (roaring forties) and strong waves from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, especially through the Drake passage.
- High albedo from ice sheet surface reflecting more heat.
- Basically 0 precipitation as cold air holds less moisture and sub-zero conditions ensures snow not rain, making it a desert.
- Extreme latitude ensuring midnight sun in Summer and near darkness in Winter.
Temperatures very pleasant in Summer (0°C) but the wind is very bad, especially through the drake passage, for reasons summarized above.
