Difference: You must have heard about the Arctic and Antarctica being among the coldest places, but do you know the difference between these two? If not, then through this article we will understand the difference between these two.
Difference: What is the difference between the Arctic and Antarctica, know
Difference: You must have known about the seven continents of the world, in which you must have also heard the name Antarctica. It is one of the coldest places on this earth. Also, you must have heard about the name the Arctic derived from it. It is also one of the coldest places where living is very difficult. But, do you know the difference between these two places? If not, then through this article we will understand the difference between these two places.
Antarctica and the Arctic are two such regions of the earth, where the climate is similar. It is very cold in both places, where only water and ice can be seen in all four directions. However, the geographical location of these two places is different from each other.
where is located
Talking about their geographical location, Antarctica is located south of the equator, while the Arctic is located north of the equator. That is, both of them are in opposite directions to each other.
what is the difference?
The major difference between the Arctic and Antarctica is that they are located on polar opposite ends of the globe. The Arctic is at the North Pole and Antarctica is at the South Pole. The Arctic, on the other hand, is an ocean surrounded by land and protected by a thin cover of permanent sea ice. Also, it is surrounded by six countries, which are Canada,
United States, Denmark, Russia, Norway, and Iceland.
On the other hand, talking about Antarctica is a continent, which is surrounded by sea ice. Also, it is a continent surrounded by the Southern Ocean. You will also find mountains in Antarctica, the highest of which is over 16,000 feet. Many scientists keep reaching for research on this continent, although it does not belong to any country.
What is the difference between the temperature of the Arctic and Antarctica?
The South Pole is colder than the North Pole. The ocean beneath the Arctic ice is still warmer than the ice in the Antarctic glacier. The force of the winds blowing around the poles is the primary reason why the South Pole is so much colder than the North Pole. At the same time, strong winds in Antarctica prevent the warm air from mixing with the polar air.
Let us also tell you that this happens in the Arctic too, but the winds that surround the North Pole are not as intense. As a result, warm air from the mid-latitudes mixes with polar air and the Arctic warms.
The temperature remains so even in summer
NASA data shows that the average temperature of the North Pole during the summer is 0 °C, while the average temperature of the South Pole reaches -28.2 °C.
What plants and animals are found in the Arctic and Antarctica
Plants
The number of plants in Antarctica is very less. There is no ice on only 1% of this continent. Only grasses and alpine higher plant species are found in Antarctica. About 100 types of mosses, 400 species of lichens, and 25 species of liverworts are also found here.
Whereas, most of the plants in the Arctic are found on the tundra, which is a vast treeless area of about 11.5 million km². The tundra is home to approximately 1,700 different plant species, including sedges, grasses, mosses, liverworts, a wide range of alpine-type flowering plants, and many lichens.
Animal
Animals like reindeer, musk ox, arctic hare, arctic tern, snowy owl, squirrel, arctic fox, and polar bear are found in the Arctic. The Arctic is a part of the landmass of Europe, North America, and Asia, these creatures move south in winter and again north in the hot summer months.
There are other varieties of large aquatic species in the Arctic, including walruses, seals, whales, and narwhals.
There are 235 different species of animals present in Antarctica. Penguins, whales, seals, albatrosses, other seabirds, and krill, the foundation of the Antarctic food chain, are also found here. These animals are among the most prevalent and well-known inhabitants of the southern continent.
Being affected by global warming
Both Antarctica and Arctic regions are cold. However, apart from this, there is a similarity and that is the effect of global warming on both. Both these regions work to control the temperature of the earth. 70 percent of the energy coming here goes back due to the shining of the ice. At the same time, the deep ocean floor here absorbs about 90 percent of the sun's energy and when the ice melts here in summer and the sea temperature rises, it affects the rest of the world as well, due to which the earth starts heating up. It happens.
