Polar regions Flashcards
Give 3 reasons why the polar regions are significant
they are barometers of the health of the planet, messengers of global processes, and regulators/drivers of the world’s climate
Describe the geographical makeup of the Arctic
an ice-covered ocean & surrounding land at north pole
Give the 2 boundary definitions around the Arctic
the treeline (10 degrees C/where trees are capable of growing), or Arctic circle (based on latitude)
Name the 2 Arctic basins
Eurasian basin and Amerasian basin
Describe the differences in age of the 2 arctic basins
eurasian basin formed in the cenozoic era (65mya) and the amerasian basin formed earlier in the mesozoic era (250mya)
What is the fram strait?
Opening between Greenland Svalbard, created esturarine-line sea before development of arctic 17.5mya
Describe the geographical makeup of the Antarctic
14 million sq km mountainous, ice-covered continent geographically isolated by ocean
What is Gondwana?
Neoproterozoic supercontinent that broke up 180mya
Which pole is deeper and why?
the arctic - wieght of glacial ice going through cycles of expanding and contracting creates erosion, increasing depth
Which pole is colder and why?
the antarctic (-60C winters vs -40C arctic winters), due to evelation (6.5C drop per 1km increase) and arctic ocean at warmer temp than surrounding air so heat can escape through leads in glacier to air.
Give 2 reasons why the poles are cold
Albedo effect from ice, low horizon
Why is the antarctic drier than the arctic?
tightly packed air molecules dont allow for high moisture content
What are the 2 main types of ice?
glacier ice (glaciers & icebergs) and sea ice (pack ice & multiyear ice)
How is glacier ice formed and how is it significant?
compacted snow, creates buffer between land and ocean to moderate sea level changes
How is sea ice formed?
by the freezing of sea water, creates frazil ice, then grease ice, then pack ice.
