THE SOUTH AND NORTH POLES

Reason to visit

South pole also as Antarctica and the North poles as Arctic are going to disappear soon due to the climate change. Sea ice forms and melts in sea water, as opposed to land-based ice such as glaciers, ice sheets or shelves, and grounded icebergs. In today's climate regime, sea ice has been observed as far south as Bohai Bay in China—a latitude comparable to the Mediterranean Sea. Sea ice begins to form when water temperature dips just below freezing, at around -1.8°C (or 28.8°F). It grows into small sheets that look like pancakes, and eventually merge together to form large ice floes which can span miles. As the ice forms, it expels the salt, which increases the density of the surrounding water and thus plays a critical role in global ocean circulation.

Temperature in the Arctic has increased at twice the rate as the rest of the globe, and the region is expected to increase an additional 8°C (14°F) in the 21st century. Winter temperature has increased more than summer temperature, which is a trend that is expected to continue. While some have suggested that these variations in temperature and associated sea ice melt are a natural cycle, recent research tells us that the Arctic was in a 2,000 year cooling trend before the 20th century and its influx of greenhouse gases.  

Antarctica, or the south pole region, is a continent which is covered with an immense ice shelf. The Arctic region, however, is mainly located in the north polar ocean and includes several larger islands such as Greenland, Spitzbergen, Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya Wrangel Island, Bank Island, Victoria Island, Ellesmere Island and various others that all boarder countries like Russia, Canada, Alaska and Greenland. The north polar ocean is covered by year round ice caps that generally extend far south during the Arctic winter and are made up of around 16 million square kilometers of ice. Polar bears live solely in the Arctic areas, while penguins on the other hand, are found in the southern Antarctic regions. For that reason polar bears and penguins never cross paths.

Location

For most purposes, the Geographic South Pole is defined as the southern point of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface (the other being the Geographic North Pole). However, the Earth's axis of rotation is actually subject to very small 'wobbles', so this definition is not adequate for very precise work; see Polar Motion for further information.

The geographic coordinates of the South Pole are usually given simply as 90°S, since its longitude is geometrically undefined and irrelevant. When a longitude is desired, it may be given as 0°. At the South Pole all directions face north. For this reason, directions at the Pole are given relative to "grid north", which points northwards along the prime meridian.

The Geographic South Pole is located on the continent of Antarctica (although this has not been the case for all of Earth's history because ofcontinental drift). It sits atop a featureless, barren, windswept, icy plateau at an altitude of 2,835 metres (9,301 ft) above sea level, and located about 1,300 km (800 mi) from the nearest open sea at Bay of Whales. The ice is estimated to be about 2,700 metres (9,000 ft) thick at the Pole, so the land surface under the ice sheet is actually near sea level.

The polar ice sheet is moving at a rate of roughly 10 metres per year in a direction between 37° and 40° west of grid north, down towards the Weddell Sea. Therefore, the position of the station and other artificial features relative to the geographic pole gradually shifts over time.

The Geographic South Pole is marked by a ceremony on New Year's Day in which a small sign and American flag are moved, and newly revealed annual stake is placed in the ice pack, which are positioned each year to compensate for the movement of the ice.^[4] The sign records the respective dates that Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott reached the Pole, followed by a short quotation from each man, and gives the elevation as 9,301 ft (2,835 m). The current stake has the position of the planets, sun, and moon on January 1, as well as a copper star marking the pole.

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It should not be confused with the North Magnetic Pole.

The North Pole is the northernmost point on the Earth, lying diametrically opposite the South Pole. It defines geodetic latitude 90° North, as well as the direction of true north. At the North Pole all directions point south; all lines of longitude converge there, so its longitude can be defined as any degree value.

While the South Pole lies on a continental land mass, the North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean amid waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly shifting sea ice. This makes it impractical to construct a permanent station at the North Pole (unlike the South Pole). However, the Soviet Union, and later Russia, constructed a number of manned drifting stations on a generally annual basis since 1937, some of which have passed over or very close to the Pole. Since 2002, the Russians have also annually established a base, Barneo, close to the Pole. This operates for a few weeks during early spring. Studies in the 2000s predicted that the North Pole may become seasonally ice-free due to Arctic ice shrinkage, with timescales varying from 2016^[1][2] to the late 21st century or later.

The sea depth at the North Pole has been measured at 4,261 m (13,980 ft) by the Russian Mir submersible in 2007^[3] and at 4,087 m (13,410 ft) by USS Nautilus in 1958.^[4][5] The nearest land is usually said to be Kaffeklubben Island, off the northern coast of Greenland about 700 km (430 mi) away, though some perhaps non-permanent gravel banks lie slightly closer. The nearest permanently inhabited place is Alertin the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada, which is located 817 km (508 mi) from the Pole.

Ways to get there

Fly by private jet to the Antarctic interior and Adventure Network Internationals base camp at the foot of the Ellsworth Mountains, 600 miles from the South Pole.

Fly in specially equipped ski aircraft to the geographical South Pole. A journey that will cover 600 miles across wind swept terrain and sastrugi and last approximately 4-5 hours.

Reach the geographic South Pole and the realization that you are now standing at the most southerly point on earth where, beneath your feet, all 360 lines of longitude collide and the ice is almost 3 000 m (10 000 ft) thick.

Enjoy a range of activities at Union Glacier Camp or just sit back, relax and immerse yourself in the Antarctic atmosphere.

If by air, no services fly in from North America. Most flights into the North Pole take off from Longyearbyen in Svalbard, during April when the arctic night is done but the ice is still strong enough. No matter who you choose, though, they stop short of the actual pole, and you'll need to finish by skiing, snowmobile or dogsled. Also, many flights don't actually land, but rather fly low over areas of interest.

If by boat, a couple of ice cutters depart from Murmansk, though tour packages start in Helsinki and Moscow. Both have luxury accommodations, and because of that, be prepared to sell an arm, leg, a kidney or three and maybe your house to go on these trips: they can be up to $25,000 a person!