AnAntarctic oasis is a large area naturally free ofsnow and ice in the otherwiseice-covered continent ofAntarctica.
In Antarctica there are, in addition to mountaintops andnunataks, other natural snow- and ice-free areas often referred to as "Antarctic oases" or "dry valleys".[1][2] These areas are surrounded by theAntarctic ice sheet or, in coastal areas, are situated between the ice sheet and theAntarctic ice shelves.
Antarctic oases and dry valleys develop in areas with particular regional weather patterns and geography. These areas have very lowhumidity andprecipitation. Although these areas are very cold, sufficient solar energy is absorbed by the ground to melt what little snow does fall, or else it is scoured orsublimated bykatabatic winds, leaving the underlying rock exposed.
Despite usually extremearidity, some plants, in the form ofbryophytes andlichens, can survive in Antarctic oases.
The larger oases (with their respective areas) are: