South Pole colder than the north pole. why ?

[nafaa]

South Pole colder than the north pole. why ?

Hello .. I have a question .. Why the South Pole colder than the north pole ? (for the earth).

 

[tasp77]

Abundance and proximity of moisture (Artic Ocean) at the north one moderates temperature swings. South pole is deep inside a continental land mass.

 

[willem2]

It's land, not sea.
It's 3000 m above sealevel

 

[nafaa]

It's land, not sea.
It's 3000 m above sealevel

What do you mean .. Please explain

 

[D H]

South pole is deep inside a continental land mass.

And it is at a high elevation. The South Pole is about 2800 meters above sea level.

 

[nafaa]

Height increases as less heat

 

[Evo]

Height increases as less heat

Yes, it is colder at higher altitudes.

 

[rbj]

also, the Earth is at it's aphelion when the southern hemisphere is having its winter (like in June). so when we, in the north, have winter (like in December), the Earth is closest to the sun in its orbit. i would think that this would contribute to making our winters more mild than the southern hemisphere's winters.

 

[D H]

also, the Earth is at it's apogee when the southern hemisphere is having its winter (like in June). so when we, in the north, have winter (like in December), the Earth is closest to the sun in its orbit. i would think that this would contribute to making our winters more mild than the southern hemisphere's winters.

Correction: The correct terms are aphelion/perihelion, rather than apogee/perigee. Apogee means "furthest from the Earth" and pertains to objects such as the Moon and artificial satellites that orbit the Earth. Aphelion means "furthest from the Sun" and pertains to planets such as the Earth that orbit the Sun.

That doesn't answer your question. You would think that the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit would make seasons in the southern hemisphere more severe than seasons in the northern hemisphere. The effect is quite small. The reason is that the southern hemisphere has only half as much land area as does the northern hemisphere. Water has a rather high specific heat compared to rock.

 

[nafaa]

Is the South Pole is the highest area (for the sea level) on the surface of the planet?
Means the South Pole is higher than the summit of Mount Everest, therefore, at low temperature?

 

[Evo]

Is the South Pole is the highest area (for the sea level) on the surface of the planet?
Means the South Pole is higher than the summit of Mount Everest, therefore, at low temperature?

A good starting point for you would be to learn how to use a world atlas. I'll start you off with the South Pole, then you can find the information on Mt Everest. It is so much better to learn how to use the proper resources.

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/an.htm

 

[pmarch.]

Antarctica is essentially a dome... Very cold from higher in the atrmosphere drops down and flows outwards toward the ocean, where a lack of nearby landmasses ensure the prevailing winds are circular around the base of the mound. Outside warmer influences are thus prevented from getting in... (incidentally, this may just have a slight consequence for global warming theorists!).

Nothing complicated in science... just observe, record and interpret!




pmarchant.

 

[turbo]

Please observe (as stated previously) that the Arctic ice-cap is surrounded by and floating on a sea and that sea has a thermal mass that moderates the temperature up there. The Antarctic is surrounded by an ocean, but it is mostly ice-on-land, with relatively little shelf-ice. Yes, some pretty large chunks of ice have broken off Antarctic shelves over the past years, but that doesn't significantly diminish the mass of the Antarctic ice-cap. A very different set-up.

 

[nafaa]

I found that the high summit of Everest 8848 m above sea level. The highest point in Antarctica point Vinson Massif at 16,066 feet (4897 m). This means that the summit of Mount Everest should be higher colder than the Antarctic because of the Mount Everest, the highest up from Antarctica. Increase in height leads to lower heat
Is this true?

 

[D H]

This means that the summit of Mount Everest should be higher colder than the Antarctic because of the Mount Everest, the highest up from Antarctica.

That would be correct if all other factors were equal, but all other factors are not equal.

 

[DaveC426913]

That would be correct if all other factors were equal, but all other factors are not equal.

Indeed.
Mt. Everest is but a small place, surrounded by more temperate climes. Antarctica is ice sheet for about 1000 miles in every direction.
Mt. Everest is relatively near the equator where summer is quite warm. Summer near the poles is anemic at best.
etc.

 

[I like Serena]

Yes, increase in height leads to lower temperature.

Beyond that the Antartic receives less incident sunlight.
And more of the sunlight received is reflected back by snow and ice.

 

[D H]

Indeed.
Mt. Everest is but a small place, surrounded by more temperate climes. Antarctica is ice sheet for about 1000 miles in every direction.
Mt. Everest is relatively near the equator where summer is quite warm. Summer near the poles is anemic at best.
etc.

Most importantly, the longest night (astronomical darkness) at Mt. Everest is a bit shy of eleven hours long while at the south pole astronomical darkness lasts about four months.

 

[klimatos]

Is the South Pole is the highest area (for the sea level) on the surface of the planet?
Means the South Pole is higher than the summit of Mount Everest, therefore, at low temperature?

Climatic temperatures are generally considered to be factors of three major controls: latitude, altitude, and continental position.

The higher the latitude the lower the annual temperature.
The higher the altitude the lower the annual temperature.
The closer to the center of the land mass the more extreme are the temperatures. That is, the highs will be higher and the lows will be lower.

 

[klimatos]

also, the Earth is at it's aphelion when the southern hemisphere is having its winter (like in June). so when we, in the north, have winter (like in December), the Earth is closest to the sun in its orbit. i would think that this would contribute to making our winters more mild than the southern hemisphere's winters.

During aphelion (the first week in July), the Earth's orbit is at its farthest from the Sun; and solar radiation at the outside of the Earth's atmosphere has a value of some 1322 watts per square meter.

During perihelion (the first week in January), the Earth's orbit is at its closest to the Sun; and solar radiation at the outside of the Earth's atmosphere has a value of some 1413 watts per square meter.

The Solar Constant (mean value over two sunspot cycles) is now 1366.1 watts per square meter.

 

[D H]

Another factor, one not yet mentioned, is the polar high. The Antarctic high tends to be significantly stronger than is the Arctic high. One reason is that Antarctica is a continent surrounded by ocean while the Arctic is an ocean nearly completely surrounded by land. In the Antarctic the natural tendency to have a polar high build during winter is augmented by the natural tendency for high pressure cells to build over continental land masses. The configuration in the Arctic to some extent militates against the development of the extended polar high that builds over the Antarctic.

 

[rcgldr]

Wiki article also mentions reflective white snow as another factor in addition to altitude for the extreme cold there:

Much of the sunlight that does reach the surface is reflected by the white snow. This lack of warmth from the sun, combined with the high altitude (about 2,800 metres (9,186 ft)), means that the South Pole has one of the coldest climates on Earth (though it is not quite the coldest; that record goes to the region in the vicinity of the Vostok Station, also in Antarctica, which lies at a higher elevation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pole

 

[DrClapeyron]

Two biggest reasons:

1. Heigher altitude
2. Land mass with no vast underground water circulation system

A similar question to ask would be why the South Pole is colder than Greenland. In this case latitude and relative size would be factors.

Q: Does the comparitive smaller amount of land in the southern hemisphere play a part in the temperature difference?

 

[klimatos]

Q: Does the comparitive smaller amount of land in the southern hemisphere play a part in the temperature difference?

As a professional climatologist, I can say that the consensus of informed opinion in the field is that it does, and that the effect is significant. Being both human beings and scholars, of course, we disagree on exactly how much the effect is and the exact nature of the significance.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

The coldest temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) do not occur over the Arctic Ocean but in continental areas at much lower latitudes. The most extreme winter temperatures in the NH occur in northeastern Siberia where temperatures of -68 C (-90 F) have been recorded. Over the shifting Arctic Ocean winter ice pack, temperatures rarely drop below -45 C (-50 F). However, the Russian Vostok Antarctic Base, located at Antarctica's most interior point (pole of inaccessibility), consistently records midwinter temperatures of around -88 C (-124 F). The extensive Antarctic winter ice pack vastly increases the continental effects around the land mass. The effect of open deep water in moderating winter temperatures is substantial.

 

[davenn]

Wiki article also mentions reflective white snow as another factor in addition to altitude for the extreme cold there:

Much of the sunlight that does reach the surface is reflected by the white snow. This lack of warmth from the sun, combined with the high altitude (about 2,800 metres (9,186 ft)), means that the South Pole has one of the coldest climates on Earth (though it is not quite the coldest; that record goes to the region in the vicinity of the Vostok Station, also in Antarctica, which lies at a higher elevation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Pole

Antarctica holds some other pretty amazing facts/ records.
It holds the record for the driest place on earth. Sound strange for a place covered in ice and snow but...
The cold and dry conditions in the "Dry Valleys" region of Antarctica are so close to those on Mars that NASA did testing there for the Viking mission. It has not rained in the dry valleys for at least 2 million years.

a bunch more interesing facts have a look here...
http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/fascinating_facts_about_antar.htm"

cheers
Dave N

 

[leemadison11]

If you look at the Earth from a distance, it is a bit tilted towards the right side, thus the Arctic region is more bent ahead while Antarctic region is a bit backward. When the sun rays strike the Earth regions, it doesn't fall uniformly everywhere. That's why the equator is hotter than north and south pole. Since the sun rays fall more on the Northern region than the Southern region, that's why Antarctica is colder than Arctic. Its the same reason why its summers in Australia during Christmas while its cold in the Northern region.

 

[D H]

If you look at the Earth from a distance, it is a bit tilted towards the right side, thus the Arctic region is more bent ahead while Antarctic region is a bit backward.

That's nonsense.

The first day of winter in the Northern hemisphere is just about a month away. Your picture will be exactly backwards a month from now.