POLAR REGIONS

POLAR REGIONS

By: Jennifer Wu

ANTARCTICA Antarctica is protected by a treaty established in 1959 to be a continent used for peace

and science Several thousand scientists inhabit Antarctic to study Antarctic is also known as The South Pole The only plants that grow in Antarctica are specialized forms of cold-loving algae that

grow on surface of snow Animals in Antarctica don’t rely on plants for food, instead live on a very carnivorous

diet It is the driest, coldest, windiest place on Earth During the summer, a day receives 24 hours of sun, but in the winter, you can hardly

see any sun at all Animals that live in Antarctica have adapted to the cold and usually have thick layer of

fat or blubber to keep themselves warm Antarctica is rocky continent covered in ice Antarctica completely isolated and not connected to other countries Numerous species of fish, crustacean and mollusk live beneath ice giving plenty of food

for carnivorous birds and mammals Penguins are the most common animal found in Antarctica Large predators like leopard seals and killer whales live in frozen islands and huge

whales go to Antarctic to eat food in nutrient-rich waters It was first discovered by Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer in 1911 Antarctica is the fifth largest continent Antarctica covers nearly 8.9% of the world’s surface with and area of 13,000,000 sq km Antarctica has no permanent population It has a minimum temperature of -85to-90 degrees Celsius in the winter, and about 30

degrees higher in the summer months

THE ARCTIC The Arctic is also known as The North Pole The Core of the Arctic lies in The Arctic Ocean Some Inuit tribes live in The Arctic The Arctic is divided into separate categories: The Geographic North Pole, located at the

north of The Arctic, The Magnetic North Pole that continues to shift, but approximately at 82°N and 114° South.

The first people to venture into The Arctic on April 6, 1909, were African American Matthew Henson, Anglo-American Navy engineer, Robert Edwin Peary, and four Inuit guides

The Arctic Circle and Arctic Tundra are found at The North Pole The Arctic covers up almost 500 million square miles of the northern hemisphere The North Pole is made up of floating ice on the Arctic Ocean The Arctic is connected to Canada and Europe giving The Arctic more plants and

animals than Antarctica Foxes, large arctic owls, wolves, and Lemming and Arctic hares can be found during

springtime near the tundra feeding on plants and animals Wolves and Polar bears dominate the frozen waters Seals, killer whales, whales, sea lions, lions, walruses and narwhals can be spotted

feeding on fish in the Arctic Circle Mines for oils and minerals, fishing and hunting bring pollution to The Arctic Summer temperatures are about -10 to 10°C, but some areas can pass 30°, while

winter temperatures can drop to -50°C

LET ME IN!WHAT MAKES THIS ENVIRONMENT HARD TO EXPLORE AND SURVIVE

Polar regions are almost always freezing, windy, dark and often very dry with no humidity

They have many dangerous wild animals that are almost impossible to tame It’s very easy to get frostbite, scurvy ( lack of vitamin C), and hypothermia Explorers have to prepare for mental preparation to face mental hardships Explorers must undergo medical and dental exams to make sure they won’t collapse

in field Blood tests also need to take a series of blood tests to make sure your blood can be

donated in extreme cases It is extremely expensive to send people down to the Arctic and Antarctic Antarctica has an active volcano, Mount Erebus Antarctic explorers face freezing temperatures and thin air at altitudes that often

climb up to 10000 feet above sea level Antarctic explorers also face frigid blasts of wind call the katabatic winds that sweep

from the interior highlands to the sea There is barely any resources to use to survive\ Polar regions are almost always isolated Getting to polar regions takes at least a month of traveling through the icy

landscape

BRRRR, IT’S COLD! Polar regions are freezing, with the coldest temperature on Earth of -89°C recorded in Antarctica An average winter temperature in the Arctic is about -30°C Arctic summers are relatively warm, especially on the coastal ends of the Arctic Ocean and warm

enough for people to live in and to grow vegetables Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth because of its dryness, surrounding sea waters, and

higher elevations. Polar regions also have plants that absorb sunlight like Lichen The average temperature is always cold and averages -12°C to 6°C Snow makes up most of the precipitation, but poles do not receive as much snow Antarctica receives little less than 10 inches of snow, and 20 in the Arctic region The snowfall is heavier in coastal areas where oceans create slightly warmer temperatures Poles experience heavy winds however, the effects are different in each area Antarctic receives fast winds and numerous blizzards that create a phenomenon, also known a

white where the sky and snow visually blend in Two main types of polar climate, The “ice-cap”, or perpetual frost” climate which has sub-

freezing temperature all year The tundra has minimum of one month’s average temperature is above freezing and comes in

three flavours: Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine tundra, which is found in mountainous terrains where cold temperatures are cold because of high altitude, regardless of latitude

Antarctica is the only continent where polar climate rules whereas the Arctic is more diverse

I’M IMPORTANT TOO! The Arctic and Antarctic are the places that scientists first go to, to conduct

biological, glaciological and climate research into the effects of “global change” The poles are also used to research rises in temperature, greenhouse effect, UV

radiation and other industrial consequences Quoting from Dr. Claude De Broyer, “The polar regions are much more liable to

global warming than other areas” The hole in the ozone layer results in an increase of UV-B radiation Polar regions are important regulators and drivers of the world’s climate A lot of the weather that affects people in Europe comes from the Arctic Our models show that in the future, polar regions will warm up more faster than the

rest of the world Polar regions are like the “hot spots” of future climate evolution If the Arctic and Antarctic continue to melt, and the Greenland ice sheet continues to

melt, the impact on the sea level would be global The glaciers in polar regions are a huge supply of freshwater for us, and if we’re not

careful, that supply could get dumped into the ocean

BEEN THERE DONE THAT The first person to reach Antarctic was the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen Amundsen was a veteran polar traveler and led a team of 18 men across Antarctica

finally reaching the pole on December 14, 1912 Amundsen’s rival was British Robert Falcon Scott who was the second person to

reach Antarctica Tragically, Mr. Scott died on the way back because his team wore wool instead of

heavy down parkas For many years, people believed that US Navy engineer Robert Peary was the first

person to reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909 accompanied by African American Matthew Henson and four Inuit men named: Ootah, Seeglo, Egingwah, and Ooqueah

Matthew Henson was the only man that accompanied the seven arduous Arctic trips between 1886 and1909 but was no given any credit until many years later

Douglas Mawson, an Australian explorer whom began to map the coasts of Antarctica and collected geographical samples

Pyotr Anjou, a Russian admiral and explorer discovered the New Siberian Islands which can be considered has a polar region

I BROUGHT A… Sledges and dogs, snowmobiles, snowshoes are usually used to travel across the icy

earth Heavy fleece parkas need to be worn to avoid frostbite Sunglasses are needed to block out the harsh sun One of the ships to travel to Antarctica is an icebreaker, to cut through thick paths of

ice in the ocean Synthetic Vitamin is used to avoid scurvy Rovers can also be used to explore polar regions, because it’s very expensive to

send people there Nuclear-powered submarines can reach polar regions from underwater You would need a lot of things like: boots, two warm pairs of socks, gloves or

mittens, thermal/wool/synthetic blend of underwear, a hat, a first aid kit, sunscreen, lip balm with SPF, food, a GPS and compass

You would need a snow house for shelter Oil lamps are used for light and heat

AHHH! IT’S THE YETI! The Yeti is an unique autonomous four-wheeled vehicle that will soon be driving

around in polar regions in the wastelands of Greenland bringing back climate, ice and atmospheric data

The Yeti has a unique composite skin, electric motor and standard ATV tires The Yeti will be sampling the air to figure out the chemical footprint of the base The Yeti is autonomous and will be following a grid programmed to its GPS unit The Yeti is a forerunner for a solar-powered rover called “Cool Robot” which will be

going through trials next year The goal is to engineer a sturdy rover that can spend a long time on ice and still be

able to create power through solar cells to power its motor, communication n devices and onboard instruments

James Lever, a mechanical engineer at the Army lab in Hanover, N.H. foresees a time when an army of wheeled robots drive across the polar regions, picking up dat in inhospitable places where human scientists don’t dare walk upon

It’s very expensive to put people in Greenland or Antarctica, robots are way easier

O CANADA! The polar regions in Canada are located in the northern regions, (Northwest

territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon) Canada has created many icebreaker ships, but has no use for them, so most

of them are sold to Russia, one to China Many icebreakers were also decommissioned and sent to be scrapped Canada has claimed parts of The Arctic (Nunavut)

STOP IT! YOU’RE HURTING ME! Tour groups are one of the biggest problems for polar regions In some tour groups, it will be soon possible to start adopting polar bears for

the rich Mining for oil and minerals has become very popular I suggest that miners don’t mine here, because of the population,, the Arctic

glaciers could start melting even more Fishing companies catch a lot of fish, leaving animals like penguins with no

food to eat Due to the many tour groups and explorers that come to the polar regions,

even more greenhouse gases are being let out into the air causing even more global warming that will cause the glaciers to melt

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS SLIDESHOW!