why Antarctica is so much more colder than the Arctic?
In: Planetary Science
The Arctic is all ocean (edit: the north pole… obviously there is land north of the arctic circle, but I’m talking about the extreme high arctic, which I think is what is referenced in the question). There’s a large ice cap, but it’s frozen sea water. And, while the ocean up there is quite cold, it’s not THAT cold, because the ocean retains a tremendous amount of energy, and it’s always circulating. This moderates the temperature of the Arctic to an extent. Antarctica, by contrast, is a huge continental landmass. Just like in more familiar areas, when you get away from the coast, you lose the moderating effects of the ocean. So, once inland, there is nothing to moderate the intense polar cold, so it gets cold and stays cold. In addition, the thickness of the sea ice in the arctic is some 10-20 feet thick. So, even when standing at the north pole, you’re basically at sea level. Antarctic is covered by an immense continental scale ice sheet that tops out at 15 THOUSAND feet thick. This ice sheet is so thick that Antarctica is actually the highest continent on Earth. So… in addition to not having the moderating effects of ocean water in Antarctica, you are also at high elevation. Either of these alone makes for quite a lot of cold – add them together and you have the kind of cold that makes the Antarctic like another planet.
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