How is the ice near the North Pole and South Pole different?

Geography. Sea ice differs between the Arctic and Antarctic, primarily because of their different geography. The Arctic is a semi-enclosed ocean, almost completely surrounded by land. As a result, the sea ice that forms in the Arctic is not as mobile as sea ice in the Antarctic.

Is Antarctic ice increasing or decreasing?

Ice cover expands again each Arctic winter, but the ice is thinner than it used to be. However, after 2014, Antarctic ice extent began to decline, reaching a record low (within the 40 years of satellite data) in 2017, and remaining low in the following two years.

Is ice freezing a positive or negative feedback loop?

freezes into ice. The common idea is that these changes, through albedo changes, add positive feedback to the system; once ice disappears the effect is amplified by more heat absorption. Contrary to this belief, we see that phase changes in fact can create negative feedback.

Is Antarctica land or just ice?

Almost all of Antarctica is covered with ice; less than half a percent of the vast wilderness is ice-free. The continent is divided into two regions, known as East and West Antarctica. East Antarctica makes up two-thirds of the continent, and is about the size of Australia.

Is Antarctica ice growing?

East Antarctica sea ice has been increasing since 1978, though not at a statistically significant rate. The atmospheric warming has been directly linked to the mass losses in West Antarctica of the first decade of the twenty-first century.

Is there more ice in the Arctic or Antarctic?

Antarctica has younger, thinner ice Compared to the Arctic, Antarctic sea ice is less likely to survive the summer melt season. Most of Antarctica’s sea ice is only one winter old at most. So even though it may cover a larger area in winter, Antarctica’s sea ice is thin, often 1 meter (about 3 feet) or less.

How reflective is ice?

In fact ice is slightly less reflective than water. The reflectivity is related to the refractive index (in a rather complicated way) and the refractive index of ice is 1.31 while the refractive index of water is 1.33. The slightly lower refractive index of ice will cause a slightly lower reflectivity.

How does the ice melting affect organisms living on or near the ice?

When there’s less sea ice, animals that depend on it for survival must adapt or perish. Loss of ice and melting permafrost spells trouble for polar bears, walruses, arctic foxes, snowy owls, reindeer, and many other species. As they are affected, so too are the other species that depend on them, in addition to people.

What is bigger the north or south pole?

While the north and south poles and their wider regions have many similarities, they are also “polar opposites” metaphorically as well as literally in many ways….Arctic and Antarctic – Comparisons & Similarities. North Pole v South Pole.