Ask A Scientist General Science Archive

Author:     zuni
Text:       I read that Antarctica had the coldest temperature on record.  I 
was wondering why it was Antarctica and not the North Pole?  Because they are 
both the same distance from the equator.  Thanks for your help. 

Response #:  1 of 3
Author:      Robert Topper
Text:        Aaron, this is an interesting question, and I am afraid I do not 
have a good answer for it.  Maybe it has something to do with how easy or hard 
it is to monitor temperatures in the two places.  In other words, maybe there 
is a problem with getting to the cold places in the North Pole but not at the 
South Pole.  It would be interesting to try and find out more information, 
like what is the average temperature at the North Pole?  What is the average 
temperature at the South Pole?  What is the lowest temperature ever recorded 
at the North Pole?  And so forth.  Finding out this information might help you 
understand the situation better.



Response #:  2 of 3
Author:      Ronald Winther
Text:        According to some books I consulted (e.g., "The Ends of the 
Earth" by Isaac Asimov), it does get much colder in Antarctica than in the 
Arctic regions. Asimov quotes a record cold temperature of -127 degrees 
Fahrenheit measured at the Soviet station Vostok in 1960. (My World Almanac 
lists -128.6, again at Vostok, in 1983.) Here are some reasons it gets so much 
colder there. Antarctica is actually a continent, of much larger extent than 
the ice sheets of the Arctic.  Its interior is more isolated from the ocean 
waters (which moderate temperatures).  Antarctica has the highest average 
altitude of the continents, much of it high plateau or mountainous; its thin, 
dry air allows intense cooling during the long winter.