The Arctic and Antartctic
Pole to Pole: The Arctic and Antarctic
Photographs by Donald Robinson January 17-May 24 Natural History Gallery,
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Numbing cold, deep snow, massive icebergs, slowly moving glaciers; vast,
windswept treeless spaces; pesky mosquitoes; polar bears and seals; penguins
and killer whales. These and other impressions of polar regions are, indeed,
applicable to at least parts of the Earths poles. The North and the South
poles share many environmental and climactic features.
Some of the similarities between the Arctic and Antarctic are related
to their positions at the North and South poles, the ends of the Earths
axis of rotation. This geographic position and the angle of Earths inclination
as it orbits the sun lead to these regions seasonal polar light regimes.
From autumn until spring the northern hemisphere undergoes longer nights
than days, while the southern hemisphere has longer days than nights. Then
the reverse occurs in both hemispheres from spring until autumn. The extremes
are reached at the poles:six months of continuous winter darkness alternately
with six months of continuous daylight at the North Pole; at the same time
the South Pole is undergoing the opposite extremes. The definition of the
Arctic and Antarctic circles, 66°33′ north and south latitudes respectively,
includes the fact that north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic
Circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun does not rise.
The low temperatures that characterize polar regions of the world today
are accentuated by the high reflective property, or albedo, of the ice
and snow that cover much of them during the entire year. This reflection
of heat back into the atmosphere and the fact that much of the heat energy
of solar radiation is expended on melting snow and evaporating the melt
water contribute to the cold at both poles.
The Arctic and Antarctic regions occupy roughly the same area, about
14 million square kilometers (5,405,823 square miles). In many other ways,
however, they are truly poles apart. The Arctic is largely an ice-covered
oceanic basin, while Antarctica is an ice-covered continent. Their climates,
geological development, the evolution of plants and animals, and political
statuses are markedly different.
The photography of Donald Robinson reveals his instinctive ability to
catch images that have both artistic and scientific interest. The low-angled
polar sun and the remarkably clear air in these dry, minimally polluted
regions make for striking visual effects. In the catalogue for this exhibit
we see the stark beauty of both North and South poles, and the fascinating
similarities and differences of both environments.
Mary Dawson, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at Carnegie
Museum of Natural History
Copyright 1998 Carnegie Magazine
All rights reserved. Email: carnegiemag@carnegiemuseums.org
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