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Meltdown
The Arctic has a normal melt cycle in which about half of the methamphetamine hydrochloride packdisappearsin the summer , only to grow back to the size of the United States during the winter . Still , an alarming recent study determined that the 2 - stat mi - wooden-headed ice piece of paper in Greenland is melt so chop-chop that half of it could be gone by the death of the century . Other studies have receive that the entire Arctic could beice - free during summerin a few decennium . of late , inquiry has also get that the Antarctic is alsolosing internal-combustion engine , which if all melted ( no one expects this to pass anytime soon ) , would have ocean level to uprise roughly 200 feet .
Cracks in the Ice
Being principally a slender stratum of ice , the arctic is very tender tochanging climateconditions . Warmer temperature during thesummer monthscause the 12 to 15 feet thick ice sheet to melt and break aside . Last year , researchers reported for the first fourth dimension thatcracks in the icehad give all the way to the North Pole .
The Ozone Hole
While the Antarctic has an ozone muddle that has grown to about three clip the size of the United States ™ land mass , the Arctic islosing ozone coverageas well . In truth , there is no actual hole ; the " muddle " is a region of severely depleted ozone , a chemical that helps protect the major planet from harmful solar radiation . Ozone losses in the Northern Hemisphere are lower than in the Southern because warmer Arctic temperatures limit the formation of frigid stratospheric cloud that destroy ozone . But temperatures in the stratosphere , high above the Arctic , have gradually cooled over the last decade , resulting in increasedozone release .
Battle of the Brrr
The Antarctic is so cold that thesnownever mellow out in many areas of the continent . The region ’s average temperature is about -56 level Fahrenheit ( -49 degrees Celsius ) , making it the coldest mood on earth . In demarcation , the Arctic ’s averagewintertemperature is -29 degree Fahrenheit ( -34 degrees Celsius ) , but it gets warmer in the summertime . The low temperature ever recorded on Earth was -128 degrees Fahrenheit ( -89.6 degrees Celsius ) , recorded July 21 , 1983 , at the Vostok Station locate near the South Geomagnetic Pole .
Santa Claus’ Address
EveryChristmas , thousands of letter mailed to Santa Claus do make it to the North Pole … North Pole , Alaska that is . The small Ithiel Town of roughly 1,778 people advertises its ZIP code code as the ZIP codification ofSanta . The Holiday liveliness is felt year - round as confect - cane stripy street lights keep things make a motion along festive places such as St. Nicholas Drive , Snowman Lane and Kris Kringle Drive .
Penguins and Polar Bears
Christmas cards and Coke commercials can be fault for the misconception that polar bears and penguin live in the same glacial neck of the woods . If penguin of the Antarctic and Artic - dwellingpolar bearsever did cross the same frozen paths , the waddling bird would make for very easy quarry for thegiant bears . But since penguins needn†™ thyroxin worry about res publica predators , they have adapt their offstage into paddle - like flippers tomaneuverthrough the ocean .
Black Gold
Energy - athirst nations are forge northwards as an estimated one quarter of alluntapped oil reserveslie north of the Arctic circle , harmonise to the U.S. Geological Survey . Russia has taken the sheer step oflaying claimto a heavy swath of the Arctic region in hopes of exploring throttle repository in the Lomonosov Ridge—a 1,200 - mi underwater heap range purported to hold up to 10 billion tons of thecoveted resource . Even the U.S. is getting involved , send off anicebreaker shipto map out their Arctic territory off Alaska . While it is conceive by some that deposit of fossil oil subsist in the southern continental ledge , such as the area under the Ross Sea , the Antarctic Treaty make oil drilling momentarily off - demarcation line .
No-Man’s Land
Despite symbolical images of past IE triumphantly planting signal flag at the South Pole , the continent remain the only place on Earth not owned by anyone . It has no history of native peoples and is governed by the Antarctic treaty , which maintains that the ground and resources be used for peaceful andscientific design . This is in everlasting line to the more than 4 million people living within the Arctic circle in several small towns as well as major metropolis such as Barrow , Alaska ; Tromso , Norway ; and Muramansk and Salekhaard in Russia .
Most Ice
Thesouthernmost continenthas roughly 90 percent of the world†™ s ice , which amount to nearly three one-fourth of the Earth†™ s fresh water system being engage away there . This has led some to float the idea of towingicebergsto quench dry , drought - stricken areas . In fact , Prince Mohammed al Faisal of Saudi Arabia once considered a plan to find a 100 million - ton iceberg off Antarctica and tow it to the Arabian peninsula .
Polar Opposites
The Arctic area is essentially afrozen oceansurrounded by land . Conversely , Antarcticais a continent—with mountain ranges and lakes—surrounded by an sea . Socially and politically , though , the Arctic region includes the northern territories of Canada , Greenland ( a territory of Denmark ) , Russia , Iceland , Norway , Sweden , Finland and the United States .
