When you were little, maybe you thought Santa Claus lived at the North Pole? To find out what the North Pole really is, watch the 1jour1actu video!
What is the North Pole?
Polar bears, huge icebergs, northern lights and ice floes as far as the eye can see: you’ve already seen pictures of the North Pole! Located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, it is an imaginary point north of our maps and covered in ice.
We speak of the Arctic Circle to denote that region where the temperature does not exceed 10 degrees and drops to minus 60 degrees! In fact, there are two north poles: the geographical point corresponding to the Earth’s axis of rotation… and the magnetic pole, not far away, to which the magnetic compass needle is constantly attracted!
Is that why all eyes are on him?
Yes, but not only that… The North Pole has fascinated great adventurous explorers since the 19th century.
Today it is scientists who closely monitor the sea ice around the pole. These large blocks of ice form in the polar winter and partially melt in the summer.
In recent years, due to climate change, this ice melting has increased at the North Pole, but also at the South Pole, Antarctica, a continent where temperatures are lower!
When the poles melt, the entire planet suffers consequences, such as flooding and sea level rise. It is therefore urgent to take action to limit climate change and protect our poles.
Isabelle Pouyllau