Shop Windows to the Universe

Earth Science Rocks! Select one of our four cool NESTA t-shirts from our online store, and express your love of Earth and space science!

RSS Feeds

Earth's Polar Regions

Do you wonder what Earth's Polar Regions are like? Where do polar bears live? Where do penguins swim? Why does the Sun never shine in winter in the Arctic? Why does aurora occur near the Earth’s Poles? How big are the Earth’s ice caps, and are they changing? The Earth’s Polar Regions are hosts to unique phenomena and ecosystems – both fascinating and beautiful. Explore the Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic through the links in this section.

A group of
Emperor penguins wait their turn to dive into the ocean near <a
href="/people/postcards/jean_pennycook_11_29_0.html&edu=elem">Ross
Island, Antarctica</a>
on November 3, 2004.
Emperor penguins routinely dive to 500 meters in
search of food. Scientists are interested in understanding how they can
endure the stress of these dives in such an <a
href="/earth/extreme_environments.html&edu=elem">extreme
environment</a>.<p><small><em> Image courtesy of Emily Stone, National Science Foundation</em></small></p>

A sinuous glowing band of <a
href="/earth/Magnetosphere/aurora.html&edu=elem">aurora</a> (the Aurora Australis
or Southern Lights) loops around the <a
href="/earth/polar/polar_south.html&edu=elem">southern polar</a>
region in the
distance as viewed by astronauts onboard the space shuttle on <a
href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-39.html">STS-039</a>.
<a
href="/earth/Magnetosphere/aurora/aurora_colors.html&edu=elem">Aurora are produced</a>
when <a
href="/physical_science/physics/atom_particle/particle_radiation.html&edu=elem">energetic particles</a>
entering the Earth's
atmosphere from space interact with <a
href="/physical_science/physics/atom_particle/atom.html&edu=elem">atoms</a> and <a
href="/earth/geology/molecule.html&edu=elem">molecules</a> in the atmosphere and
release energy, emitted as light. <p><small><em>Courtesy of NASA, Astronaut Overmeyer and Dr. Hallinan</em></small></p>

<a href="/earth/polar/inuit_culture.html&edu=elem">The
Inuit</a> are the native cultures that continue to live on coastal areas of <a
href="/earth/polar/arctic_tundra.html&edu=elem">Arctic
tundra</a> in Canada, Alaska (USA), Siberia (Russia), and Greenland. This
picture shows several Inuit constructing an igloo with blocks of <a
href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_snow1.html&edu=elem">snow</a>
in November, 1924. Traditionally, Inuit lived in igloos during the coldest
months and tent-like huts during the warmer months.<p><small><em> Library of Congress Prints and Photographs, Photograph by Frank E. Kleinschmidt</em></small></p>

Did you know that the Earth’s <a
href="/earth/polar/polar_geog.html&edu=elem">geographic
North pole</a> is not in the same place as the Earth’s <a
href="/earth/Magnetosphere/earth_north_magnetic_pole.html&edu=elem">North
magnetic pole</a>? They are actually several hundred kilometers apart,
making navigation with a compass impossible near the poles. This picture
illustrates where they were in 2005. Right at the geographic poles, the <a
href="/sun/sun.html&edu=elem">Sun</a> shines for half
the year and it is dark for the other half of the year. This makes a year
like one long day.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Windows to the Universe</em></small></p>

Greenland’s <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/cryosphere_glacier1.html">ice sheet</a> saw a record <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/headline_universe/olpa/greenland_10dec07.html">melt</a> in July 2012. Scientists studying this event have found that this melting event was triggered by an influx of unusually warm air and amplified by the presence of a blanket of thin low-level <a href="http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/cloud.html">clouds</a> which pushed temperatures up above freezing. For more information see the <a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/21638">press release</a> from the University of Wisconsin Madison.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of University of Wisconsin-Madison</em></small></p>

Icebergs floating near Cape York, Greenland
in September 2005. Icebergs are large pieces of ice floating in
the <a href="/earth/Water/ocean.html&edu=elem">ocean</a>
that have broken off of <a
href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_glacier1.html&edu=elem">ice
shelves or glaciers</a> in <a
href="/earth/polar/polar.html&edu=elem">Earth's polar
regions</a>. They are a part of the <a
href="/earth/polar/cryosphere_intro.html&edu=elem">cryosphere</a>.
Approximately 90% of an iceberg's <a
href="/glossary/mass.html&edu=elem">mass</a> is below
the surface of the seawater. Because ice is less dense than water, a small
portion of the iceberg stays above the seawater.<p><small><em>Image courtesy of Mila Zinkova, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license</em></small></p>

Windows to the Universe Community
News	Opportunities
Upcoming W2U Events	Join Today - Benefits, No Ads!
Special Offers for Teachers	Member Benefits
Teacher Newsletter	Partnership Opportunities

Explore Earth's Polar Regions

Geography and Geology at the Poles

Location The polar regions are the areas that surround Earth’s geographic North and South Poles. ...Read more

Magnetic Field at the Poles

Earth has a magnetic field. If you imagine a gigantic bar magnet inside of Earth, you'll have ...Read more

Polar Atmosphere

Phenomena in the Polar Atmosphere There are some unique phenomena that happen in the atmosphere ...Read more

Polar Oceans

There are two oceans in Earth’s polar regions: the Arctic Ocean, which occupies most of the ...Read more

Ice (The Cryosphere!)

The cryosphere includes the parts of the Earth system where water is in its frozen (solid) ...Read more

Polar Life

All sorts of living things call Earth’s polar regions home – from tiny lichens encrusting the ...Read more

Climate Change in Polar Regions

The effects of climate change are not felt with the same intensity in all parts of the world. ...Read more

Our Changing Planet

When we look around us, we can see that our planet's climate is changing rapidly. The National ...Read more

Arctic Cultures

There are people of different cultures and backgrounds who live in the Arctic region. Read ...Read more

Exploration at the Poles

Polar exploration includes the physical exploration of the Arctic and the Antarctica. The Arctic ...Read more

Postcards from the Poles

Antarctica is unique. It's cold. It's remote. And for the most part it is covered with ice. ...Read more

More about Earth's Polar Regions

Global locations of visitors using this page right now

Poles in Space
Polar Games and Activities
Resources for Teaching About the Poles and Cryosphere
Polar Links

Historical Events

3/9 Earthquake with magnitude 8.6 hits Andreanof, Alaska in 1957

3/13 William Herschel discovered Uranus on this date in 1781 Details

3/13 F5 tornado hits Hesston and Goessel, Kansas, in 1990, part of a major Central US tornado outbreak

Full Earth and Space Science History Calendar (Members only)

Teacher Opportunities

3/14 AMS Summer Workshops for K-12 Educators - The Maury Project
Details

3/15 Endangered Species Youth Art Contest
Details

3/27 4th Annual Green Schools National Conference
Details

Full Teacher Events Calendar (Educator Members only)

Did you know?

Did you know that it can get as cold as -70 degrees Celsius in the Arctic tundra during the winter?

Did you know that the footprints left on the Moon’s surface by astronauts will last for centuries, because there is no wind on the Moon?

Earth and Space Science Concept of the Day

Do you know what this word or phrase means?

Orographic lift

xOrographic lift : Occurs when an air mass is forced to rise over geographic relief from a lower elevation. As the air mass rises it expands and cools adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100%, create clouds and precipitation.

Click on the word to find out!

Research Highlights

“Missing” Heat May Affect Future Climate Change

Current observational tools cannot account for roughly half of the heat that is believed to have built up on Earth in recent years, according to a "Perspectives" article in this week's issue of the journal...Read more

Science Blogs

Perspectives on Earth and Space Science Education

Real Climate: climate science from climate scientists

EPA Greenversations

Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment

Citizen Science Buzz

Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation and NASA, our Founding Partners (the American Geophysical Union and American Geosciences Institute) as well as through Institutional, Contributing, and Affiliate Partners, individual memberships and generous donors. Thank you for your support!

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://windows2universe.org/ from the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA). The Website was developed in part with the support of UCAR and NCAR, where it resided from 2000 - 2010. © 2012 National Earth Science Teachers Association. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of NESTA. All Rights Reserved. See our copyright and licenses page for information about how you can use our materials.Site policies and disclaimer.