Despite being covered in ice, Antarctica is the driest continent on Earth. Some regions of Antarctica receive less precipitation than the Sahara Desert, making it one of the most arid places on the planet. The dry valleys of Antarctica, for example, are particularly barren and almost completely devoid of snow or ice. This area is so dry that it resembles the surface of Mars, with strong winds and extremely low humidity preventing any form of significant precipitation.
This dryness is mainly due to the continent's extreme cold and the fact that the surrounding Antarctic ice sheet acts as a barrier, trapping moisture elsewhere. The region is also remote, with limited access to oceanic moisture, which further reduces the chance of rain or snow. Despite the lack of precipitation, Antarctica contains about 60% of the world’s fresh water in its ice sheets, making it crucial to global water cycles. Shutdown123