Antarctic
- The Antarctic is a continent
surrounded by ocean.
- Icebergs are calved from
glaciers and shelf ice year round, and may measure in excess of 25 cubic
miles.
- The sea ice accumulates
annually and more than doubles the size of the continent.
- Over 97% of the Antarctic
landmass is covered by the unbroken South Polar ice sheet.
- Elevation at the South Pole
is 9300 feet above sea level, although the bedrock is only 100 feet
above sea level the annual mean temperature at the South Pole is -58°F.
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Arctic
- The Arctic is an ocean
surrounded by continents.
- Icebergs are calved from
glaciers and are seasonal. The icebergs are measured in cubic yards.
- Sea ice accumulates over
several years.
- Land ice is found in limited
areas, the largest being the Greenland ice sheet.
- The elevation at the North
Pole is 3 feet of sea ice. The bedrock is located 1400 feet below sea
level.
- The annual mean temperature
at the North Pole is 0°F.
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