EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Because they receive less concentrated sunlight, polar regions are much colder than other parts of the planet. In the summer, the average temperature at the North Pole is 0° C. In the winter, the average temperature drops to −40° C. The South Pole is even colder.

Detailed explanation-2: -Both the Arctic (North Pole) and the Antarctic (South Pole) are very cold because they get very little direct sunlight. The Sun is always low on the horizon, even in the middle of summer. In winter, the Sun is so far below the horizon that it doesn’t come up at all for months at a time.

Detailed explanation-3: -The main reason that Antarctica is colder than the Arctic is that Antarctica is a landmass surrounded by ocean, and the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by landmasses. Antarctica also has a much higher average elevation than the Arctic, and the Antarctic Ice Sheet is bigger and thicker than the ice in the Arctic.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Earth receives the most solar radiation at the Equator and the least solar radiation at the Poles. Therefore, the warm temperatures experienced at the Equator are due to the intense solar radiation that is experienced year round relative to the Poles.