July 17, 2007
1313 gmt
Southern Hemisphere
Look at that gloriously intensely dense cold air mass topping the ice continent. It's expansive today. The 'point' regarding 'where' some of Sol's 'direct' rays are reaching can be noted in the higher latitude vortices. They are not making it into the continent because they heat has settled where it is most intense for now and that is where there is still direct sunlight.
There are two lower latitude vortices, 'below' Australia that are making it into the coastal continent. While these vortices contribute to the hotter air mass at lower elevations of Antarctica they cannot explain everything. There is a 'reason' for the lower elevations to be affected while the highest elevations are not. The 'reason' is that the lower elevations are receiving 'radiation heat (also known as convection, but, we'll keep it simple)' and facilitating some transfer into the continent.
In order for Vostok to receive any 'heat transfer' at this point the lower elevations would have to be unable to compensate for the change of temperature it was receiving. The amount of calories to change this very densely cold air over Vostok is far higher than being delivered to Antarctica today. In order to change the temperatures over Vostok it would have to receive direct sunlight.
