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What is arctic circle and antarctic circle?

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.

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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