Geography of Earth's Polar Regions The polar regions are the areas that surround Earths geographic North

and South Poles. The area surrounding the North Pole is called the Arctic and includes almost the entire Arctic Ocean and northern areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The area surrounding the South Pole is called the Antarctic and includes the continent of Antarctica and parts of the surrounding Southern Ocean. Arctic Circle, parallel of latitude on the surface of the Earth at 6630 N. It marks the southern limit of the area in which the Sun does not rise on the winter solstice (usually December 21 or 22) or set on the summer solstice (usually June 21 or 22). Antarctic Circle, parallel of latitude on the surface of the Earth at 6630 S. It marks the northern limit of the area in which the Sun does not rise on the summer solstice (usually June 21 or 22) or set on the winter solstice (usually December 21 or 22).
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Arctic, large, cold area of Earth around the North Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean, many islands, and parts of the mainlands of North America, Asia, and Europe. The Arctic region is particularly sensitive to global warming and other climate change, and it has a major influence on climate and weather on the rest of the planet. The higher the latitude, the more daylight. Beyond the Arctic Circle there will be a period of time during the summer when the sun never sets, and the further you are north, the longer this period is. When I was in the arctic on holiday (!!) in 2006, the sun rose around the beginning of June and would not set until the end of July/beginning of August. Antarctica means opposite to the Arctic, Earths northernmost region. Antarctica, fifth largest of Earths seven continents (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America). Antarctica surrounds the South Pole and is a place of extremes. It is the southernmost, coldest, iciest, driest, windiest, most remote, and most recently discovered continent. Nearly the entire landmass lies within the Antarctic Circle. Air temperatures of the high inland regions fall below -80C (-110F) in winter and rise only to -30C (-20F) in summer. Massive ice sheets built up from snow over millions of years cover almost all of the continent and float in huge ice shelves on coastal waters. Antarctica's vast areas of ice on land and on sea play a major role in Earths climate and could be strongly affected by global warming. The melting of Antarctic ice could dramatically raise global sea level.
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Warming of the Polar Regions

These images from NASAs ICESat satellite show the different in ice cover in the Arctic between 1980 (top) and 2003 (bottom).

The effects of climate change are not the same in all parts of the world. While Earths average temperature has risen 0.6C (1.0F) during the 20th century, some areas of our planet are warming faster than others. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts of the world. In Alaska (USA) average temperatures have increased 3.0C (5.4F) between 1970 and 2000. The warmer temperatures have caused other changes in the Arctic region such as melting ice and shrinking polar bear habitat. In the opposite hemisphere, the Antarctic Peninsula has also warmed rapidly, five times faster than the global average.

The Warming Arctic

Blocks of frozen ground, known as permafrost, break off into the ocean as the ground thaws along coast of Canada

In the north polar region, the climate has warmed rapidly during the past few decades. Average temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere in the world. In Alaska (USA) temperatures have increased on average 3.0C (5.4F) between 1970 and 2000. The Arctic is showing some of the most dramatic effects of global warming. Glaciers, including parts of Greenlands massive ice sheet, are melting rapidly. Sea ice covers less of the Arctic Ocean each summer. Snow blankets some areas for less of the year. Thawing permafrost releases methane, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere. It is also causing damage to buildings and roads. Along the coast, thawing permafrost is causing erosion, like in the picture at the left.
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The numbers and species of plants and animals are also changing. Some species are moving further north to be where it is cooler. For example, there are more shrubs growing in the tundra of Alaska and trees are able to grow further north. Other species have experienced population booms or declines. There used to be 24,000 Peary caribou in northern Canada in 1961. But 1997 there were only about 1100 caribou. Many could not survive because were times when food was limited. Polar bear populations may be declining because melting sea ice limits their hunting opportunities. Meanwhile, in Alaska, spruce bark beetles are breeding faster than ever in the warmer climate. From 1993 to 2003 the oversized beetle population chewed up 3.4 million acres of forest trees.

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