Houses of North and South Poles- Beauty and Dangers
I read geography only in school. However, this subject along with astronomy and geology have always fascinated me. ‘Great World Atlas’ of Readers’ Digest was my bedside book, before Google Map came. I used to love to gaze at atlas for long time. I honestly accept that I have no in-depth knowledge of these subjects, but irruption into these subjects gives me great sensation of mental flight.
Recently I just happened to note that the continent where the South pole resides and the ocean where North pole is situated are almost equal in area. That is, Antarctic continent in South and Artic Ocean in North are nearly equal. Both in area are slightly more than 14 million sq km. This near equality was noticed by me by a freak chance.
Earth’s north and south poles are the two opposite ends of its axis, its most northern and southern points. These poles are farthest from the sun, which hovers around the equator between tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
The North Pole lies in Arctic Ocean. This ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five oceans. It spans an area of approximately 14,060,000 sq kms and is known as one of the coldest of oceans. Though most geographers recognise it as an ocean, some call it Arctic Mediterranean Sea. It is mostly covered by ice throughout the year and almost completely in winter.
The South Pole lies in Antarctica continent. Often described as a continent of superlatives, Antarctica is the world’s southernmost continent. It is superlatives because it is world’s highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest continent. Antarctica is about 14.2 million sq km in size, and thick ice covers about 98 percent of the land.
Unfortunately, climate change is a big threat, not only to the poles but to the world. The greenhouse effect is a natural process, however human activities have intensified the greenhouse effect, leading to climate change. Global effects on the Arctic and Antarctic are reflected in regional climate changes and their consequences. Practically all the snow and ice features of the polar regions will be affected in one way or another.
To mitigate climate change, we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have to work together to reduce our carbon footprint and slow the pace of climate change!
Our Mother Earth is esoteric, unfathomable and yet beautiful and splendid. Value it more than your life.
