Anice cap climate is apolar climate where no mean monthly temperature exceeds 0 °C (32 °F). The climate generally covers areas at high altitudes andpolar regions (60–90° north and south latitude), such asAntarctica and some of the northernmost islands ofCanada andRussia. Most ofGreenland is under the influence of an ice cap climate, although the coasts are prone to more influence from the sea, providing moretundra climates. Some regions on the islands ofNorway'sSvalbard Archipelago facilitate an ice cap climate. Areas with ice cap climates are normally covered by a permanent layer of ice and have no vegetation. There is limited animal life in most ice cap climates, which are usually found near the oceanic margins. Although ice cap climates are inhospitable to human life and no civilian communities lie in such climates, there are some research stations scattered inAntarctica and interiorGreenland.

Under theKöppen climate classification, the ice cap climate is denoted asEF. Ice caps are defined as a climate with no months having a mean temperature above 0 °C (32 °F).^[2] Such areas are found around the north and south pole, and on the top of many high mountains. Since the temperature never exceeds the melting point of ice, any snow or ice that accumulates remains there permanently, over time forming a largeice sheet.

The ice cap climate is distinct from thetundra climate, orET. A tundra climate has a summer season with temperatures consistently above freezing for several months. This summer is enough to melt the winter ice cover, which prevents the formation of ice sheets. Because of this,tundras have vegetation, while ice caps do not.^{[citation needed]}

Ice cap climate is the world's coldest climate, and includes the coldest places on Earth. With an average temperature of −55.2 °C (−67.4 °F),Vostok, Antarctica is the coldest place in the world, and has also recorded the lowest temperature, −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).^[3] The following chart indicates the average and record temperatures in this research station through a year:

The two major areas with ice cap climates areAntarctica andGreenland. Some of the mostnorthern islands of Canada andRussia, along with some regions and islands ofNorway'sSvalbard Archipelago also have ice cap climates.

TheArctic Ocean is located in theArctic region. As a result, the northern polar ice cap is the frozen part of that ocean's surface. The only large landmass in the extreme northern latitudes to have an icecap climate isGreenland, but several smaller islands near the Arctic Ocean also have permanent ice caps. Some places such asAlert, Nunavut despite being characterized as a tundra climate share some characteristics of an ice cap climate, in that although Alert averages above freezing during July and August, during most years the snow does not completely melt except what is in direct sunlight and will often persist from year to year many years in a row without melting completely, but not enough remains to form any kind of glaciation.

Ice cap climates are not nearly as common on land in the extreme northern latitudes as in Antarctica. This is because the Arctic Ocean moderates the temperatures of the surrounding land, making the extreme cold seen in Antarctica impossible. In fact, the coldest winters in the northern hemisphere are insubarctic climates inSiberia, such asVerkhoyansk, which are much farther inland and lack the ocean's moderating effect. This same lack of moderating oceanic effect, coupled with the extreme continentality of the Russian interior allows for very warm summers in the same areas that experience harsh winters.

The continent ofAntarctica is centered on theSouth Pole. Antarctica is surrounded on all sides by theSouthern Ocean. As a result, high-speed winds circle around Antarctica, preventing warmer air from temperate zones from reaching the continent.

While Antarctica does have some small areas of tundra on the northern fringes, the vast majority of the continent is extremely cold and permanently frozen. Because it is climatically isolated from the rest of the Earth, the continent has extreme cold not seen anywhere else, and weather systems rarely penetrate into the continent.

Mountainglaciers are widespread, especially in theAndes, theHimalayas, theRocky Mountains, theCaucasus, and theAlps.

Ice cap climates only occur duringicehouse Earth periods. There have beenfive such periods in the Earth's past. Outside these periods, the Earth seems to have been ice-free even in high latitudes.^[9][10] Factors that cause icehouse Earth include changes to the atmosphere, the arrangement of continents, and the energy received from the sun. Earth is currently in an icehouse period.

The constant freezing temperatures cause the formation of large ice sheets in ice cap climates. These ice sheets, however, are not static, but slowly move off the continents into the surrounding waters. New snow and ice accumulation then replaces the ice that is lost. Precipitation is nearly non-existent in ice cap climates. It is never warm enough for rain, and usually too cold to generate snow. However, wind can blow snow onto the ice sheets from nearby tundras.

Ice sheets are often miles thick. Much of the land located under ice sheets is actually below sea level, and would be under the ocean if the ice were removed. It is the weight of the ice itself that forces this land below sea level. If the ice was removed, the land would rise back up in an effect calledpost-glacial rebound. This effect is creating new land in formerly ice cap areas such asSweden.

The extreme pressure exerted by the ice allows for the formation of liquid water at low temperatures that would otherwise result in ice, while the ice sheet itself insulates liquid water from the cold above. The causes the formation ofsubglacial lakes, the largest beingLake Vostok in Antarctica.

There is very little surface life in ice cap climates. Vegetation cannot grow on ice,^[11] and is non-existent except in the warmer fringes that occasionally peak above freezing; even then, it is confined to mosses and lichen. However, the fringes of ice caps do have significant animal and plant life.^[12] Most of this life feeds on life in the surrounding oceans. Well known examples arepolar bears in the northern region andpenguins in Antarctica. Vegetation and soils are removed from valley floors by ice caps,^[13] and research has found a "positive feedback betweenpermafrost degradation and vegetation encroachment".^[14]

• Köppen climate types
• Climate of Greenland
• Climate of Antarctica
• Ice caps

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