Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Weather inquiry - What are the climatic and resource conditions in Antarctica and the Arctic respectively?

What are the climatic and resource conditions in Antarctica and the Arctic respectively?

South Pole

Climate: Due to the high altitude, thin air and the reflection of solar radiation on the ice and snow surface, the Antarctic continent has become the coldest region in the world, with an average temperature of 20 degrees lower than that of the North Pole. The average annual temperature in the Antarctic continent is MINUS 25 degrees. The average annual temperature in Antarctic coastal areas is about-17~20 degrees; The average annual temperature in inland areas is MINUS 40~50 degrees; The extremely high plain in the southeast is the coldest, with the annual average temperature as low as MINUS 57 degrees. Up to now, the lowest temperature observed on the earth is -89.6 degrees Celsius, which was recorded by the New Zealand Antarctic Observatory "Wanda" in July 1983. At this low temperature, ordinary steel will become as fragile as glass. If you throw a glass of water into the air, it will become ice crystals.

First of all, the cold of Antarctica is related to its high latitude location, which leads to no sunshine in the long polar nights of the year. It is also related to the incident angle of sunlight. The higher the latitude, the greater the incident angle of sunlight, and the less solar heat energy absorbed per unit area. Antarctica is located at the highest latitude on the earth, and the incident angle of the sun is the smallest. Sunlight can only hit the surface obliquely, and the oblique sunlight has the lowest heat. Moreover, 95% of the Antarctic continent is covered with white snow and ice, and the reflectivity of snow and ice to solar light is 80%-84%, and less than 20% of the rest reaches the ground, and most of this poor little heat is reflected back into space. Antarctica is extremely cold because of its high altitude and relatively thin air, which makes it difficult to keep warm.

Antarctica is not only the coldest place in the world, but also the windiest area in the world. Every year, there are 300 days with strong winds of magnitude 8 or above, and the annual average wind speed is 19.4m/s.. 1972. The maximum wind speed observed at Mosen Station in Australia is 82m/s, and the hurricane with wind speed of 100m/s is observed at Deauville Station in France, which is a typhoon of magnitude 12. The reason why the Antarctic storm is so powerful is that the snow surface temperature in the Antarctic continent is low, and the air nearby cools and contracts rapidly, becoming heavier and denser. The ice sheet covering the Antarctic continent is like a "discus" with a thick center and a thin periphery, forming a steep terrain between the central plateau and the coastal areas. Heavy cold air descended sharply from inland heights along the slope and reached the coastal areas. Due to the sudden drop of terrain, the speed of cold air flow decreases, thus forming a strong and extremely fast katabatic wind. Antarctica has no four seasons, only warm and cold seasons. Warm season 1 1 till March; April to 10 cold season. In warm seasons, the average temperature in coastal areas rarely exceeds zero degrees Celsius, and the average temperature in inland areas is MINUS 20 to MINUS 35 degrees Celsius. In the cold season, the coastal areas are MINUS 20 to MINUS 30 degrees Celsius, and the inland areas are MINUS 40 to MINUS 70 degrees Celsius. At the beginning of 1967, Norway measured a low temperature of MINUS 94.5 degrees Celsius near the pole. It is predicted that a low temperature of -95 to-100 degrees Celsius may occur in the southeast pole.

Resources: The Antarctic region is rich in mineral resources. According to the identified distribution of resources, the reserves of coal, iron and oil rank first in the world, and other mineral resources are still being explored. It is expected that more and richer mineral resources will be found in the Antarctic region, which will provide scientific basis for human beings to use these resources.

Permian coal seams in Antarctic continent are mainly distributed under the Antarctic ice sheet, with a reserve of about 500 billion tons.

Iron ore is one of the richest mineral resources in Antarctica. On the Antarctic continent, it is mainly distributed in the southeast pole. According to scientists' investigation, in the stratum in the south of Prince Charles Mountain, there was a banded magnetite-rich rock with a thickness of 400 meters, a length of120km ~180km and a width of 5km ~10km, with an average grade of 32% ~ 58%, which is an iron-rich deposit with industrial mining value. Interestingly, if you go north along the longitude range of Prince Charles Mountain in Antarctica (60 degrees north latitude to 70 degrees north latitude), it is almost in the Arctic region with the same longitude and almost symmetry, and it is also a world-class large iron ore area.

Antarctic oil reserves are about 50 billion to 654.38+00 billion barrels, and natural gas reserves are about 300 billion to 500 billion cubic meters. The Ross Sea, Weddell Sea, Bellingsgar Sea and Antarctic continental shelf in Antarctica are the main producing areas of oil fields and natural gas.

In the Antarctic region, there are still many resources to be identified, and the results of resource exploration in various countries have not been fully disclosed. Therefore, scientists in China still need to make further efforts.

Arctic region

Climate: Winter in the Arctic Ocean lasts for six months from June 1 1 to April of the following year. May, June, September and 65438+ October belong to spring and autumn. In summer, it only lasts for seven or eight months. The average temperature in June+10/October in 5438 was between-20 and-40℃. The average temperature in the warmest August is only MINUS 8 degrees. The lowest temperature measured at the drifting station near the pole of the Arctic Ocean is -59℃. Due to the influence of ocean currents and Arctic anticyclones, the coldest place in the Arctic is not in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. The lowest temperature was recorded at -70℃ in Jansk, Vilho, Siberia, and at -62℃ in Alaska.

The closer to the pole, the more obvious the meteorological and climatic characteristics of the polar region. There is only one day and one night a year. Even in midsummer, the sun just hangs on the distant southern horizon, with a bleak white light. The sun never rises above 23.5 degrees. It moves slowly around this endless white world. A few months later, the track of the sun gradually approached the horizon, so the evening season in the Arctic began.

The Arctic has endless ice and snow and a long winter. Both the North Pole and the South Pole have extreme days and nights. The closer you get to the North Pole, the more obvious this is. Winter in the Arctic is long, cold and dark. From165438+1October 23rd every year, there will be days when the sun can't be seen at all for nearly half a year. The temperature will drop to MINUS 50 degrees Celsius. At this time, all the waves and tides disappeared, because the coast was frozen and only the wind wrapped in snow swept around.

In April, the weather gradually warmed up and the ice and snow gradually melted. Large pieces of ice began to melt, break and collide with each other, making a loud noise. The stream seems to be gurgling; The sky becomes bright and the sun shines on the earth. In May and June, plants put on the coat of life, and green animals began to be active and busy breeding. In this season, animals can get enough food and accumulate enough nutrition and fat to spend the long winter.

Autumn in the Arctic is very short, and the first snowstorm will come in early September. The arctic soon returned to the cold and dark winter. In the Arctic, the sun will never rise in the sky, even in midsummer, its rising angle will not exceed 23.5 degrees. The annual precipitation in the Arctic is generally 100-250 mm, and it can reach 500 mm in Greenland. The main form of precipitation is summer rain.