Learn about the North and South Pole

1. Polar Overview

Polar refers to the South Pole and the North Pole.

Antarctica is located at the southernmost tip of the Earth. It is a vast continent called Antarctica. Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth, with the lowest temperature in Antarctica reaching -88.3°. The Antarctic continent is covered with thick ice all year round, and tens of thousands of huge icebergs and floating ice are floating in the oceans surrounding the continent. Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth and is known as the "Ice and Snow Plateau".

3D Schematic Diagram of Antarctic Topography

The North Pole is located at the northernmost part of the Earth. There is no land in the North Pole, but a vast frozen ocean called the Arctic Ocean. Surrounding the Arctic Ocean are numerous islands and coastal areas of North America, Europe and northern Asia. Due to the low temperature, the central part of the Arctic is frozen all year round and only melts in the summer.

3D map of the Arctic terrain

2. Polar Expeditions

1. Polar research vessel

At present, my country has two polar research ships, Xuelong and Xuelong 2. Both Xuelong ships have strong icebreaking capabilities and are equipped with advanced communication and meteorological observation systems to ensure navigation safety. The ships are equipped with working boats and helicopters, and are equipped with a swimming pool, gym, library, laundry room, etc. that are open at regular intervals. In addition to completing polar transportation, they can also provide a full range of three-dimensional services for polar scientific research as needed.

On April 23, 2020, the Xuelong and Xuelong 2 ships successfully completed China's 36th Antarctic expedition mission and returned smoothly to the domestic dock base, marking that my country's polar expedition has officially entered the "Double Dragon Exploring the Pole" era.

Double Dragon Exploration

2. Polar Research Station

The Great Wall Station was completed on February 20, 1985. It is the first scientific research station established by my country in Antarctica. After decades of construction and development, the Great Wall Station has taken shape, with 25 buildings of various types, a construction area of ​​4,200 square meters, 17 transportation vehicles of various types, advanced communication equipment, comfortable living conditions, and a relatively complete scientific laboratory equipped with various instruments and equipment for scientific research. The Great Wall Station can accommodate 40 wintering expedition personnel and 80 summering expedition personnel every year.

Realistic 3D model of the Great Wall Station

At present, my country has completed the construction of four scientific research stations in Antarctica, including the Great Wall Station, Zhongshan Station, Taishan Station and Kunlun Station, and a new scientific research station is under construction.

Antarctic research station under construction

The Yellow River Station is China's first Arctic research station. It was established on July 28, 2004 and is located in the small town of Ny-Ålesund in the Svalbard Islands of Norway. The Yellow River Station is China's third polar research station after the Great Wall Station and Zhongshan Station in Antarctica. China has also become the eighth country to establish an Arctic research station in the Svalbard Islands of Norway. The Yellow River Research Station is a two-story building with a total area of ​​about 500 square meters, including laboratories, offices, reading lounges, dormitories, storage rooms, etc. It can accommodate 20 people working and living at the same time, and has a rooftop observation platform for observation projects such as high-altitude atmospheric physics.

Yellow River Station under the Aurora

3. Peaceful Polar Regions

Polar scientific research occupies an important position in many scientific fields such as astronomy, geology, biology, and climate change. The signing of the Antarctic Treaty and the Svalbard Treaty provides an important basis and guarantee for conducting scientific expeditions in the Antarctic and the Arctic for peaceful purposes, allowing scientists from all over the world to "show their talents" in the polar regions. Research on global climate change issues such as glacier changes and sea ice melting will continue to make great contributions to the sustainable development of mankind.

4. Polar Regions and Global Change

In recent years, due to global warming, the summer Arctic sea ice is gradually disappearing. Due to the reduction of summer sea ice, animals such as polar bears will lose their natural hunting grounds, which will seriously threaten their survival and may eventually lead to the extinction of species. At the same time, the huge changes in the polar ecological environment will also have a profound impact on human survival. Therefore, protecting the environment and reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the unshirkable mission of every human being on Earth.

Trapped polar bear

Finally, here are some "cold knowledge" about the polar regions:

1. If you can stand at the South Pole, you will be the most "difficult" person in the world. Because here, any direction, east, west, south, or north, is north for you. There are only two places in the world where direction disappears, namely the South Pole and the North Pole.

2. You can also take a hot spring bath in Antarctica. There are two active volcanoes in Antarctica, namely Mount Erebus and Deception Island. Deception Island erupted in December 1967. There are many hot springs gushing out at the northern end of Fausta Bay on Deception Island. It is the only tourist destination in Antarctica where you can take a seawater hot spring bath.

3. The driest place on Earth is located in a place called the "Dry Valleys" in Antarctica, which is known as the place on Earth that is most like Mars.

4. The Arctic is home to 13% of the world’s undiscovered conventional oil resources and about 30% of conventional natural gas resources, making it an invisible rich country.

5. With the great changes in lifestyle, refrigerators have become a necessity for the Inuit living in the Arctic ice and snow world.

6. The horn on the head of the narwhal living in the Arctic is actually a canine tooth protruding from the left upper jaw.