Onyx is the longest river in Antarctica . Located in on Victoria Land , in the dry McMurdo valleys , characterized by an almost year-round lack of snow, a high level of insolation, and relatively (for Antarctica) high summer temperatures. The length of the river is about 30 km; it flows out of Lake and flows into Lake Vanda .
| Onyx | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Characteristic | |
| Length | 30 km |
| Watercourse | |
| Source | Braunworth |
| • Coordinates | |
| Mouth | Wanda |
| • Coordinates | |
| Location | |
| Water system | Wanda |
| A country |
|
| Region | Dry McMurdo Valleys |
The water level in the river is subject to strong day and seasonal fluctuations. Onyx has several tributaries and flows only during the late Antarctic summer (February, March). For the rest of the time, the river flow looks like a bare ribbon of ice. Sometimes for several years the river cannot reach Wanda Lake. But there are peculiar floods; during one of them, in 1984, the New Zealand rafters even descended the river [1] .
There are no fish in the river, but there are microorganisms and algae, the blooming of which can be observed. Meteorological stations are located along the river, and the New Zealand Wanda station was located at the mouth from 1968 to 1995 . Interestingly, the maximum air temperature at the station, noted on January 5, 1974, was +15.0 ° C ; this, apparently, is the temperature record of the entire Antarctic .
Notes
- ↑ Antarctica's longest river (Eng.) // Antarctic Sun. - January 23, 2003. - P. 16 .