The Antarctic would grow continuously colder without the constant addition of heat. There are two dominant paths to get heat to the pole.
Heat is moved from the low latitudes by global circulation.
It is captured by cyclonic systems and incorporated in the Antarctic system. Photograph by Rowell, courtesy of the National Science Foundation. The ocean has a tempering influence on coastal temperatures. In the winter, incoming solar radiation decreases, sea ice grows, and albedo increases, causing cooling at the coast. On the polar plateau, latitude and altitude primarily control the temperature.