What name is given to Antarctica’s largest ice-free region, a polar desert near the Ross Sea?

Antarctica’s largest ice-free region, a polar desert near the Ross Sea, is called the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a group of valleys in Victoria Land, Antarctica. They cover roughly 4,800 square kilometres and are notable for having little or no permanent snow and ice across much of their floors, despite being surrounded by the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Extremely low humidity, strong katabatic winds, and very limited precipitation create the valleys’ desert conditions. Some exposed surfaces may remain dry for exceptionally long periods, making the area valuable for research into Earth’s extreme environments.

The valleys are not completely lifeless. Microorganisms survive in soils and within unusual subglacial or ice-covered ecosystems, including the briny environment associated with Blood Falls. Their cold, dry terrain has also been used as an analogue for conditions that might once have existed on Mars.