Is the North Pole or the South Pole colder?

Both the North Pole and the South Pole are cold because their positions at the top and bottom of the planet prevent them from receiving direct sunlight. In both places, the sun always rises low on the horizon, even in the middle of summer.

The temperature in Antarctica is colder than the Arctic all year round.

North Pole

The Arctic consists of a vast icy ocean surrounded by a layer of permafrost that is so frozen that plants can barely survive. When standing at the North Pole, no matter which direction you look, it is always South. The North Pole is located in the middle of the ocean, covered by a thick layer of ice that is constantly moving. If you accidentally fall into the water, you will become an ice fossil and sink to depths of up to 4000m.

On the surface, average winter temperatures can drop below -40 degrees Celsius, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was around -68 degrees Celsius. Despite these harsh conditions, humans have inhabited the Arctic for thousands of years. In addition to humans, the Arctic ecosystem includes ice-dwelling organisms, plankton, fish, birds, marine mammals, land animals, and plants.

Antarctica

Antarctica is the southernmost continent on Earth. It is the world's fifth largest continent with an area of over 14,000,000 km2, nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is ice at least 1600m thick, lying on a huge rocky and continental base with many high mountains, isolated from oceanic influences. Therefore, living conditions in Antarctica are considered the harshest in the world.

Temperatures in Antarctica can reach -89 degrees Celsius. Because it is so harsh, there are no inhabitants, only about 1,000 - 5,000 people living in research stations distributed across the continent. Even animals and plants are very rare, only cold-adapted species can survive, including algae, protists, bacteria, fungi and a few animals and plants.

Why is Antarctica colder than the Arctic?

The main reason why Antarctica is so much colder than the Arctic lies in the key difference between the two regions. The Arctic is an ocean and Antarctica is a continent. Much of Antarctica is about 3,000 meters above mean sea level, which explains why the higher you go, the colder the temperature gets.

The temperature in Antarctica can freeze a bowl of noodles instantly.

The Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land. The Antarctic is land surrounded by ocean. The water warms and cools more slowly than the land, resulting in less extreme temperatures. Even though the Arctic Ocean is covered with ice, the relatively warm water has a moderating effect on the weather there, keeping the Arctic warmer than the Antarctic.

Another reason is that the seasons work against the South Pole. Around July, when the Earth is furthest from the Sun, the Northern Hemisphere turns toward the Sun, making it warmer, while the Southern Hemisphere turns away from the Sun, making it even colder, and that is also the time of winter in the South Pole, making the South Pole twice as cold.

Tuyet Anh (Source: Synthesis)

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