The following data set consists of tabulations of mean monthly surface air temperature in degrees centigrade for most occupied stations in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Some South Pacific Island stations are also included, along with a few continent based stations (e.g. Capetown, Cape Naturaliste, Cape Leeuwin and Punta Arenas).
It should be noted that this is not a primary source. These data are collated from several sources including publications, monthly newsletters from national climate agencies and personal communications with climatologists world wide.
Mean monthly temperature data are calculated from the mean monthly minimum and mean monthly maximum temperatures. In the following tabulations, means are also calculated down the years for each month (bottom row for each station) and across the months for each year (right hand column for each station). If for any year one monthly temperature datum is missing, the mean for that year is calculated using, for the missing month, the long term mean for that month. An asterisk marks any annual mean calculated in this manner. If more than one month of data in a year is missing, no annual mean value is calculated.
Data are organised below in two groups - (i) Antarctic continental station data, and (ii) Southern Ocean station data. Within these two groups, the station table listings are arranged in alphabetical order across the columns. Each station in the tables is also identified by its World Meteorological Organisation Station number. The ALL STATIONS option at the end of each table lists all the station data for that table in order of increasing Longitude. Within each station data set, the station name, latitude, longitude and World Meteorological Organisation Station number, are given, followed by the data.
Last modified : Friday 6 February 2009
Notification was received from Steve McIntyre and Reto Ruedy of incorrect values for 1988 and 1989 in several of the tables below, these have now been updated and a list of the changes can be accessed here