All Topics  
Polar region

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Polar region
 
 
  Topics Polar region Topic Home

Earth's
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
 polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles
Geographical pole

A geographical pole , is either of two points on the surface of a spinning planet or other spinning body, at 90 degrees from its equator, at one of the two points where the Axis of rotation around which the body spins meets the surface of the body....
 also known as frigid zones
Geographical zone

Each of the five main latitude regions of the earth's surface is said to be a geographical zone, divided by the major circles of latitude. The differences between them relate to climate, and the behaviour of the sun....
. The North Pole
North Pole

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface....
 and South Pole
South Pole

The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's rotation intersects the surface....
 being the centers, these regions are dominated by the polar ice cap
Polar ice cap

A polar ice cap is a high-latitude region of a planet or natural satellite that is covered in ice. There are no requirements with respect to size or composition for a body of ice to be termed a polar ice cap, nor any geological requirement for it to be over land; only that it must be a body of solid phase matter in the polar region....
s, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic North Pole region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions....
 and the continent of Antarctica
Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....
. Polar sea ice
Sea ice

Sea ice is formed from ocean water that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs at about -1.8 ?Celsius .Sea ice may be contrasted with icebergs, which are chunks of ice shelf or glaciers that calve into the ocean....
 is currently diminishing, possibly as a result of anthropogenic global warming
Global warming

Global warming is the increase in the Instrumental temperature record of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation....
.

Arctic
Arctic

The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctica region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland , Russia, the United States , Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland....
 has numerous definitions, including the region north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circle of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude that runs 66degree 33'39? north of the Equator....
 (66°33'N), or the region north of 60° north
60th parallel north

The 60th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 60 degree true north of the Earth equator.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 60? north passes through:...
 latitude, or the region from the North Pole south to the timberline.

The Antarctic is usually defined as south of 60° south
60th parallel south

The 60th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 60 degree south of the Earth equator.The parallel marks the northern limit of the Southern Ocean....
 latitude, or the continent of Antarctica.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Polar region'
Start a new discussion about 'Polar region'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Locationpolarregions
Earth's
Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun. Earth is the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in diameter, mass and density. It is also referred to as the World and Wiktionary:Terra.Note that by International Astronomical Union convention, the term "Terra" is used for naming extensive land masses, rather...
 polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles
Geographical pole

A geographical pole , is either of two points on the surface of a spinning planet or other spinning body, at 90 degrees from its equator, at one of the two points where the Axis of rotation around which the body spins meets the surface of the body....
 also known as frigid zones
Geographical zone

Each of the five main latitude regions of the earth's surface is said to be a geographical zone, divided by the major circles of latitude. The differences between them relate to climate, and the behaviour of the sun....
. The North Pole
North Pole

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface....
 and South Pole
South Pole

The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's rotation intersects the surface....
 being the centers, these regions are dominated by the polar ice cap
Polar ice cap

A polar ice cap is a high-latitude region of a planet or natural satellite that is covered in ice. There are no requirements with respect to size or composition for a body of ice to be termed a polar ice cap, nor any geological requirement for it to be over land; only that it must be a body of solid phase matter in the polar region....
s, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic North Pole region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions....
 and the continent of Antarctica
Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....
. Polar sea ice
Sea ice

Sea ice is formed from ocean water that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs at about -1.8 ?Celsius .Sea ice may be contrasted with icebergs, which are chunks of ice shelf or glaciers that calve into the ocean....
 is currently diminishing, possibly as a result of anthropogenic global warming
Global warming

Global warming is the increase in the Instrumental temperature record of the Earth's near-surface air and the oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation....
.

Definitions

The Arctic
Arctic

The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctica region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland , Russia, the United States , Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland....
 has numerous definitions, including the region north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circle of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude that runs 66degree 33'39? north of the Equator....
 (66°33'N), or the region north of 60° north
60th parallel north

The 60th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 60 degree true north of the Earth equator.Starting at the Prime Meridian and heading eastwards, the parallel 60? north passes through:...
 latitude, or the region from the North Pole south to the timberline.

The Antarctic is usually defined as south of 60° south
60th parallel south

The 60th parallel south is a circle of latitude that is 60 degree south of the Earth equator.The parallel marks the northern limit of the Southern Ocean....
 latitude, or the continent of Antarctica. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty
Antarctic Treaty System

The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS, regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population....
 uses the former definition.

Climate

Polar regions receive less intensive solar radiation because the sun's energy arrives at an oblique angle, spreading over a larger area, and also travels a longer distance through the Earth's atmosphere in which it may be absorbed, scattered or reflected, which is the same thing that causes winters to be colder than the rest of the year in temperate areas.

The axial tilt
Axial tilt

In astronomy, axial tilt is the inclination angle of a planet axis of rotation in relation to its Orbital plane . It is also called axial inclination or obliquity....
 of the Earth has a major effect on climate
Effect of sun angle on climate

The amount of heat energy received at any location on the globe is a direct effect of sun angle of climate, as the Angle of incidence at which sunlight strikes the earth varies by location, time of day, and season due to the earth's orbit around the sun and the earth's revolution around its tilted axis....
 of the polar regions. Since the polar regions are the farthest from the equator
Equator

The equator is the intersection of the Earth's surface with the Plane perpendicular to the Earth's rotation and containing the Earth's center of mass....
, they receive the least amount of sunlight and are therefore frigid. The large amount of ice and snow also reflects a large part of what little sunlight the Polar regions receive, contributing to the cold. Polar regions are characterized by the polar climate
Polar climate

Regions with a polar climate are characterized by a lack of warm summers .The tundra covers over 20% of the earth. The sun shines 24 hours in the summer, and barely shines at all in the winter ....
, extremely cold temperatures, heavy glaciation wherever there is sufficient precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)

File:MeanMonthlyP.gifIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of Atmosphere water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface....
 to form permanent ice, and extreme variations in daylight hours, with twenty-four hours of daylight in summer (the midnight sun
Midnight sun

The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in latitudes north and nearby to the south of the Arctic Circle, and south and nearby to the north of the Antarctic Circle where the sun remains visible at the local midnight....
), and complete darkness at mid-winter
Winter

Winter is one of the four seasons of temperate zones. Calculated astronomy, it begins on the solstice and ends on the equinox. It is the season with the shortest days and the lowest average temperatures....
.

Circumpolar Arctic Region

There are many settlements in Earth's north polar region. Countries with claims to Arctic regions are: the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 (Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
), Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
 (Greenland
Greenland

Greenland is a member country of the Kingdom of Denmark located between the Arctic Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago....
), Norway
Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula....
, and Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
. Arctic circumpolar populations often share more in common which each other than with other populations within their national boundaries. As such, the northern polar region is diverse in human settlements and cultures.

Antarctica and the Southern Ocean


The southern polar region has no permanent human habitation. McMurdo Station
McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station is an American Antarctica research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island on the shore of McMurdo Sound, 1 E6 m miles due south of New Zealand....
 is the largest research station in Antarctica
Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....
, run by the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. Other notable stations include Palmer Station
Palmer Station

File:Palmer Station .JPGFile:PalmerFromGlaciar.JPGFile:PALMERPENGUINB.JPGPalmer Station, on Anvers Island, is Antarctica only U.S. station north of the Antarctic Circle....
 and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is a Science and technology in the United States at the South Pole, in Antarctica....
 (United States), Esperanza Base
Esperanza Base

The Argentina Base Esperanza is located at , Hope Bay, Trinity Peninsula, Antarctic Peninsula.Built in 1975, the base houses 55 inhabitants in winter, including 10 families and 2 school teachers....
 and Marambio Base
Marambio Base

Base Ant?rtica Marambio is the main Argentina base in Antarctica, and it is located in Seymour Island, at , some 100 km from Esperanza Base....
 (Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
), Scott Base
Scott Base

Scott Base is a base located in Antarctica and is operated by New Zealand. It was named after Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Royal Navy, leader of two United Kingdom expeditions to the Ross Sea area of Antarctica....
 (New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
), and Vostok Station
Vostok Station

Vostok Station is a Russian Antarctic research station. It is at the southern Pole of Cold, with the lowest reliably measured temperature on Earth of -89.2 ?C ....
 (Russia).

While there are no indigenous human cultures, there is a complex ecosystem, especially along Antarctica's coastal zones. Coastal upwelling
Upwelling

An Upwelling is an physical oceanography phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water....
 provides abundant nutrients which feeds krill
Krill

Krill are a type of shrimp-like marine invertebrate animal. These small crustaceans are important organisms of the zooplankton, particularly as food for baleen whales, manta rays, whale sharks, crabeater seals, and other pinniped, and a few seabird species that feed almost exclusively on them....
, a type of marine crustacea, which in turn feeds a complex of living creatures from penguins to blue whales.

Extraterrestrial polar regions

Other planet
Planet

A planet , as 2006 definition of planet by the International Astronomical Union , is a celestial body orbiting a star or Stellar evolution#Stellar remnants that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared the neighbourhood of planetesimals....
s and natural satellite
Natural satellite

A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called the primary. Technically, the term natural satellite could refer to a planet orbiting a star, or a dwarf galaxy orbiting a major galaxy, but it is normally synonymous with moon and used to identify non-artificial satellites...
s in the solar system
Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun and those Astronomical object bound to it by gravity: the eight planets and five dwarf planets, their 173 known Natural satellite, and billions of Small Solar System body....
 have interesting quirks about their polar regions. Earth's Moon
Moon

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the List of natural satellites by diameter satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is km, about thirty times the diameter of the Earth....
 is thought to contain substantial deposits of ice
Ice

Ice is a solid phases of matter, usually crystalline solid, of a non-metallic substance that is liquid or gas at room temperature, such as ammonia ice or methane ice....
 in deep craters in its polar regions, which never see direct sunlight
Sunlight

Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total spectroscopy of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is Filter ed through the Earth's atmosphere, and the solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon....
. Mars, like Earth, has polar ice caps
Climate of Mars

The climate of Mars has been an issue of scientific curiosity for centuries, due not least to the fact that Mars is the only terrestrial planet whose surface can be directly observed in detail from the Earth....
. On Uranus, meanwhile, the extreme tilt of the planet's axis leads to the poles alternately pointing almost directly at the Sun
Sun

The Sun , a G V star, is the star at the center of the Solar System. The Earth and other matter orbit the Sun, which by itself accounts for about 98.6% of the Solar System's mass....
.

See also


Antarctic

  • Antarctica
    Antarctica

    Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....
  • Ecozone of Antarctica
    Antarctica ecozone

    Antarctica is one of eight terrestrial ecosystems. The ecosystem includes Antarctica and several island groups in the southern Atlantic Ocean and Indian Oceans....
  • Expeditions of Antarctica
  • Geography of Antarctica
    Geography of Antarctica

    The geography of Antarctica is dominated by its polar region and, thus, by ice. The Antarctica continent, located in the Earth's southern hemisphere, is centered asymmetrically around the South Pole and largely south of the Antarctic Circle....
    • Antarctic & Sub-Antarctic Islands
      List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands

      This is a List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands. Sub-Antarctic islands are islands in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica north of the Antarctic Circle ....


Arctic

  • Arctic
    Arctic

    The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctica region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Greenland , Russia, the United States , Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland....
  • Arctic Circle
    Arctic Circle

    The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circle of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the parallel of latitude that runs 66degree 33'39? north of the Equator....
  • Arctic Ocean
    Arctic Ocean

    The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic North Pole region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions....
  • Canadian Arctic Archipelago
    Canadian Arctic Archipelago

    The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, also known as just the Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago north of the Canada mainland in the Arctic. Situated in the northern extremity of North America and covering about , this group of 36,563 islands comprises much of the territory of Northern Canada ? most of Nunavut and part of Northwest Territo...


Polar

  • Geographical Pole
    Geographical pole

    A geographical pole , is either of two points on the surface of a spinning planet or other spinning body, at 90 degrees from its equator, at one of the two points where the Axis of rotation around which the body spins meets the surface of the body....
    • North Pole
      North Pole

      The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface....
    • South Pole
      South Pole

      The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's rotation intersects the surface....
  • Geographical Zone
    Geographical zone

    Each of the five main latitude regions of the earth's surface is said to be a geographical zone, divided by the major circles of latitude. The differences between them relate to climate, and the behaviour of the sun....
  • Polar Drift
    Polar drift

    Polar drift is a geological phenomenon caused by variations in the flow of molten iron in Earth's outer Earth#The core, resulting in changes in the orientation of Earth's magnetic field, and hence the position of the magnetic north pole....
  • Polar Exploration
    Polar exploration

    Polar exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic and Antarctic regions of the Earth. It is also denotes the historical period during which mankind most intensely explored the regions north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle....
  • Polar Low
    Polar low

    A polar low is a small-scale, short-lived atmospheric low pressure area that is found over the ocean areas poleward of the main polar front in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres....


External links




Gallery