geo 8

• Penguins don't live in the region of the North Pole and polar bears don't live in the region of the South Pole
• Antarctica


  • Fifth biggest continent on earth
  • Completely covered with ice
  • The exact location of the South Pole at 90°S is right in the middle of that continent
  • Holds 90% of all the ice in the world
  • No land mammals live there, but there are bird species
  • No native human population
  • Far too cold
• Summers in the Antarctic

  Just as cold as winters in the Arctic
• Arctic or North Pole region

  • Northernmost region on earth
  • The Arctic Circle at 66½°N is usually considered the southern boundary of the region
  • Covers parts of Russia, the United States, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and the Arctic Ocean
  • Native peoples like the Inuit live in the region of the Arctic Circle
  • The exact location of the North Pole at 90°N is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean
  • Filled with icebergs, sea ice and pack ice
  • Sea ice forms when ocean water freezes
• Much of the sea ice disappears in summer
• Boundaries of the Arctic region

  • July 10°C isotherm
  • Northern tree line
• Polar zone or polar region


  • Starts at 66½°N and 66½°S
  • Much colder than the average temperature on Earth, which is 15°C
• The Earth's axis, an imaginary line between the two poles, is tilted relative to the Sun and forms a 23½° angle
• The closer you get to the North or South Pole


  The greater the difference between summer and winter
• Albedo effect


  85% of the Sun's rays that reach the surface of the Earth are reflected back into the atmosphere by the ice and snow
• Antarctica


  • Very mountainous
  • No influence from warm ocean currents
  • Extremely dry
  • Only 50 to 100 mm of precipitation falls per year in the interior of the continent
  • One of the driest deserts in the world
• Polar lights


  • Also known as Aurora Borealis in the northern hemisphere and Aurora Australis in the southern hemisphere
  • Caused by the interaction of the sun and the Earth's magnetic field
• Polar lights


  1. Solar particles collide with the magnetic field around our planet

  2. The path of the electrically charged solar particles is altered by the magnetic field and they become attracted to the magnetic north pole and magnetic south pole

  3. The electrically charged solar particles collide with particles in the Earth's atmosphere

  4. The energy released into the atmosphere during these collisions causes coloured lights around the poles
• Polar lights can be mostly green, but they can also be red, violet, purple, white and yellow
• Electrically charged solar particles enter the atmosphere


  They can cause disruptions to electricity networks, cause blackouts, and disrupt telecommunications networks
• Territorial waters


  Ships from other countries can sail in a country's territorial waters, but they are not allowed to fish or drill for oil
• Exclusive economic zone (EEZ)

  Coastal states hold all the fishing rights and rights to extract raw materials in their EEZ
• Expanding territory in the Arctic region


  Countries can expand their territory if they can prove that the floor of the Arctic Ocean is part of their continental shelf
• Russia claims part of the Arctic region


  Because the Lomonosov Ridge runs right through the middle of the Arctic Ocean
• Denmark claims the same area as its territory


  As Russia claims part of the Arctic region
• Countries claiming parts of the floor of the Arctic Ocean


  • Russia
  • Denmark
  • Norway
  • Canada
• The Arctic is sparsely populated, with more than 4 million people living in this region
• Climate change is having a tremendous impact on the peoples of the Arctic


  • Their natural sources of food are moving or disappearing
  • Changing weather conditions are already making their traditional way of life impossible
• If the Arctic Ocean becomes ice-free in summer because of climate change


  • There will be new maritime shipping routes through the Arctic
  • There will be new fishing grounds
  • There are oil and gas fields under the ice that could be exploited in the future
  • Mining companies are expecting to find natural resources like oil, uranium and molybdenum
• Human activity is responsible for roughly 200 non-native plant and animal species living in Antarctica and the subantarctic islands
• Invasive species often cause disruptions to ecosystems by reducing populations of native species or driving them to extinction
• Antarctic Treaty


  Countries agreed that Antarctica should only be used for scientific research, and that military activities are prohibited. Until the year 2048, countries are not allowed to extract minerals in the Antarctic