Which pole has the colder temperatures, the north or the south?

 
They are both bone-chillingly cold, but which one takes first place?
 
Both the North Pole and the South Pole are known to have the lowest average temperatures on Earth. Even though these regions may appear to be comparable, one is far icier than the other.
 
So, which pole has the lower temperatures?
 
Because of their locations at the top and bottom of the Earth, the North Pole and the South Pole do not receive direct sunlight from the sun, which contributes to their shallow temperatures. Even at the height of each location's respective summer, the sun never rises higher than a specific point on the horizon. The sun can remain so deep below the horizon during their winters that it does not rise for several months at a time.
 
Additionally, the white surfaces of the ice and snow at the poles are very reflective because of their colour. This implies that most of the sun's energy that reaches those surfaces is reflected into space, which helps keep the air above those surfaces at a relatively cool temperature.
 
According to research conducted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, even though these factors make both poles downright freezing, the South Pole continues to be much colder than the North Pole (opens in new tab). The annual average temperature at the North Pole is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (or 0 degrees Celsius) in the summer and minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit (or negative 40 degrees Celsius) in the winter. The yearly average temperature of the South Pole is far lower than that of the North Pole, coming in at minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 60 degrees Celsius) in the winter and minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 28.2 degrees Celsius) in the summer.
 
The Arctic versus the Antarctic
 
The primary distinction separating the North and South Poles is the root cause of the temperature disparity between the two. Polar scientist Robin Bell, who works at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York, says, "the North Pole is an ocean, and the South Pole is a continent." Live Science reported this information.
 
The Arctic is an ocean that is encircled by land on all sides. The Antarctic is a landmass that is surrounded by water. Since water responds to changes in temperature at a slower rate than land does, it experiences more minor variations in temperature extremes. Even when the Arctic Ocean is completely frozen, the climate is moderated by the relatively warm temperature of its waters. This helps the Arctic remain warmer than the Antarctic.
 
In addition, whereas the Arctic is located at sea level, Antarctica has an average elevation of roughly 7,500 feet, making it the highest continent (2,300 meters). The higher one goes, the lower the temperature will be.
 
Which pole has the most significant amount of ice?
 
The ice cover thickness fluctuates throughout the year at both the North and South Pole. The ice cover thickens during the short, gloomy winters and thins out during the bright, increasingly warm summers.
 
Most of this variance in ice cover at the North and South Poles is due to sea ice that floats, builds, and melts across the ocean. This is true for both the North Pole and the South Pole. The ice that forms in the Arctic is less likely to move around than the ice that forms in the Antarctic. This is because the Arctic is nearly surrounded by land. According to the National Snow & Ice Data Center (opens in new tab), Arctic sea ice is typically thicker than Antarctic sea ice, which measures approximately 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 m) in thickness on average. Arctic sea ice floes are more likely to collide due to the above (NSIDC).
 
According to the NSIDC (opens in a new tab), the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice is approximately 2.5 million square miles (6.5 million square km). On average, the greatest extent is approximately 6 million square miles (15.6 million square km). In contrast, the average minimum extent of Antarctic sea ice is 1.2 million square miles (3.1 million square kilometres). The greatest extent of Antarctic sea ice is 7.2 million square miles (18.8 million square kilometres).
 
Despite this, there is no question that the South Pole has, on the whole, a greater quantity of total ice than the North Pole. According to the National Science Foundation, the ice sheet in Antarctica is up to 3 miles (4.8 km) thick. It covers approximately 5.3 million square miles (13.7 million square km), roughly the same area as combined in the contiguous United States and Mexico (opens in new tab). This is because the South Pole is home to land ice in addition to sea ice (opens in a new tab). Antarctica is responsible for storing approximately 90 per cent of the world's ice.
 
Cecilia Bitz, a polar climate scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle, stated that the volume and mass of ice on the land fluctuate very little over the summer as a percentage of the quantity in winter since the volume and mass are so high.
 
Investigations into the amount of ice at the polls have shown that the thickness and the extent of the Arctic summer sea ice have drastically decreased over the past 30 years. This is the case according to the findings of the studies (opens in a new tab). This is in line with previous measurements showing the Arctic to be warming.
 
According to Bitz, who spoke with Live Science, "the primary reason for the dramatic decline of Arctic and Greenland ice is global warming." "And reducing Arctic sea ice area tends to cause even more warming, compounding the heat that initiates the ice loss." [citation needed] "And decreasing Arctic sea ice area tends to induce even more warming."
 
In contrast, "sea ice loss around Antarctica and glacial land ice loss on Antarctica have had mixed changes, ups and downs, over the last 40 years when we've had reasonably good records," Bitz pointed out. [C]Similarly, "sea ice loss around Antarctica and glacial land ice loss on Antarctica have had mixed changes, ups and downs." The dynamics of the climate in the Antarctic are more challenging to understand because air and ocean circulation are such significant influences in that region.

 

 

 

 

Article source :  https://www.livescience.com/is-north-pole-or-south-pole-colder

Image source  : https://pixabay.com/id/photos/antartika-es-topi-pegunungan-482686/

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