measures 1500m thick.
More fish live along the edges of the Arctic Ocean than anywhere else on Earth and the average winter temperature is minus 35°C, while the average summer temperature is between 3 and 12°C.
Politically speaking, the countries offering the opportunity for Arctic expeditions are: Canada, US, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Greenland (partially independent from Denmark) and Iceland.
The Antarctic
Surrounded by frigid waters, the Antarctic continent stretches between 90° and 63° South
Antarctica is far less complicated politically in that this independent continent is completely detached from others. In terms of the possibilities for polar exploration, South Georgia is an additional option in the southern hemisphere, in that it offers similar polar conditions, situated at latitudes 54°30’ South and 37° West.
The Antarctic covers around 13 million km2 (varying seasonally), and on average the Antarctic continent covers 8.9 per cent of the Earth's surface. The following countries have submitted active, but not globally recognised, territorial claims: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. However, these claims have little practical relevance since the signing of the Antarctic Treaty which came into effect in 1961 and sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve.
Antarctica is the coldest and windiest place on Earth; its highest point is Mount Vinson at 4897m and its lowest point the Bentley Subglacial Trench at 2555m below sea level. Twice the size of Australia, it offers an enormous expanse of ice: some 95 per cent of Antarctica is covered by an ice-cap averaging 1.6km thick.
Antarctica has no official population, language, currency or capital.
THE ARCTIC AND THE ANTARCTIC – SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Environment
Similarities
Snow and ice
Northern and Southern lights
Freezing and icebergs
Blizzards and snowstorms
Both are among the most arid places on Earth
Differences
The Antarctic is a continent and has an enormous amount of ice lying on top of a landmass; the Arctic is predominantly an ocean with a thin layer of ice floating on top.
The Arctic has trees; the Antarctic does not.
The Arctic Ocean (4000m deep) has a thin ice layer floating on top; the Antarctic landmass has up to 4000m ice on top.
The Arctic has tundra; no such vegetation in the Antarctic.
Atomic waste in the Arctic; problems of refuse disposal and potential oil exploitation in the Antarctic.
Weather
Arctic
Coldest temperature ever recorded: −68°C.
Coldest period of the year: when the sun reappears over the horizon.
With fluctuating weather systems, storms rarely last longer than 2–3 days.
At full moon and higher tides, the ice is much more dynamic; leads and compression zones are formed.
Many spring days with dense fog or white-out conditions.
Antarctic
The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was at Vostok Research Station at −89.2°C.
Hardly any precipitation (yearly average of 500mm a year).
Winds can blow up to 320km/h.
During storms, the height of snowdrift increases with wind strength.
Typically, katabatic winds roll down from the high plateau to the coastal areas with increasing velocity.
Animal and plant life
Similarities
Lichen and mosses.
Seals, whales and birds.
Krill and fish.
Differences
Polar bears in the Arctic; penguins in the Antarctic.
No terrestrial animals in the Antarctic; many in the Arctic, such as musk oxen, reindeer, caribou, foxes, hares, wolves, lemming, bears.
Algae in the Antarctic; not in the Arctic.
Human activity
Human population north of 60° North in the Arctic is in excess of 2 million with modern settlements, while in Antarctica there are no permanent residents, only a sparse population at scattered scientific stations.
The first crossing of the Antarctic Circle was by James Cook on 17 January 1773, while the first crossing of the Arctic Circle is prehistoric.
The Arctic has indigenous people, while the Antarctic does not.
Human presence in the Arctic dates back at least 14,000 years, while the first temporary settlements in the Antarctic were installed at the end of the 19th century.
There are scientific stations in both the Arctic and the Antarctic.
The Arctic has towns, while the Antarctic only has research bases.
Discovery of the Arctic considerably predates the first sightings of Antarctica.
Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis
Both Aurora appear around the polar regions. The Aurora Australis appears around Antarctica in the austral winter (winter in the Southern Hemisphere), while the Aurora Borealis appears around the Arctic during winter in the Northern Hemisphere. An Aurora Australis or an Aurora Borealis occurs when streams of particles from the sun's solar winds hit the Earth's atmosphere at an angle (as can only happen at the poles). These particles interact with the edges of the Earth's magnetic field, and when they collide with the gases in the ionosphere the particles glow, creating curtains of blue, green and magenta. An Aurora is sometimes accompanied by a crackling sound.
History of Exploration
The Arctic
Early exploration
Around the 16th century it was believed that the North Pole was to be found in a sea, with only a slight chance of reaching it when the ice floes would allow a passage. Whaling ships studied the weather and ice conditions out of curiosity while working in the area.
