• Question: why is the Arctic cold ?

    Asked by azzy111 to Carla, Madgie, Nick, Vicky, Werner on 13 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Werner Muller

      Werner Muller answered on 13 Nov 2013:

      Most likely it has to do on the amount of energy that is reaching the arctic (from the sun).

    • Photo: Nick Groves-Kirkby

      Nick Groves-Kirkby answered on 13 Nov 2013:

      As Werner says, it’s to do with the amount of sunlight that reaches there.

      The Sun’s energy is what gives us heat. In winter, the arctic is tilted away from The Sun and it gets no light or heat.

      In the summer, the opposite happens and the arctic is light all day but still gets very little heat. The angle of the Earth means that The Sun’s energy is spread out over a much larger area in the arctic than it is at the equator. Your teacher might be able to show you this using a globe and a lamp!

      It’s difficult to explain without a picture. This video from the BBC might help!

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/the-arctic-circle-24-hour-darkness/1875.html

Comments