The North Pole is located at
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Earth is home to two North Poles, both located in the Arctic region: the geographic North Pole and the magnetic North Pole. Show
Geographic North PoleThe northernmost point on the Earth's surface is the geographic North Pole, also known as True North. It is located at 90° North latitude but it has no specific line of longitude since all lines of longitude converge at the pole. The Earth's axis runs through the North and South poles and it is the line around which the Earth rotates. The geographic North Pole is located approximately 450 miles (725 km) north of Greenland, in the middle of the Arctic Ocean: the sea there has a depth of 13,410 feet (4087 meters). Most of the time, sea ice covers the North Pole, but recently, water has been sighted around the exact location of the pole. All Points Are SouthIf you are standing at the North Pole, all points are south of you (east and west have no meaning at the North Pole). While the Earth's rotation takes place once every 24 hours, the speed of rotation is different based on where one is on the planet. At the Equator, one would travel 1,038 miles per hour; someone at the North Pole, on the other, hand, travels very slowly, barely moving at all. The lines of longitude that establish our time zones are so close at the North Pole that time zones are meaningless; thus, the Arctic region uses UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) when local time is necessary at the North Pole. Due to the tilt of the Earth's axis, the North Pole experiences six months of daylight from March 21 through September 21 and six months of darkness from September 21 through March 21. Magnetic North PoleLocated about 250 miles south of the geographic North Pole lies the magnetic North Pole at approximately 86.3° North and 160° West (2015), northwest of Canada's Sverdrup Island. However, this location is not fixed and is moving continually, even on a daily basis. The Earth's magnetic North Pole is the focus of the planet's magnetic field and is the point that traditional magnetic compasses point toward. Compasses are also subject to magnetic declination, which is a result of the Earth's varied magnetic field. Each year, the magnetic North Pole and the magnetic field shift, requiring those using magnetic compasses for navigation to be keenly aware of the difference between Magnetic North and True North. The magnetic pole was first determined in 1831, hundreds of miles from its present location. The Canadian National Geomagnetic Program monitors the movement of the magnetic North Pole. The magnetic North Pole moves on a daily basis, too. Every day, there's an elliptical movement of the magnetic pole about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from its average center point. Who Reached the North Pole First?Robert Peary, his partner Matthew Henson, and four Inuit are generally credited with being the first to reach the geographic North Pole on April 9, 1909 (although many suspects they missed the exact North Pole by a few miles). In 1958, the United States nuclear submarine Nautilus was the first vessel to cross the Geographic North Pole. Today, dozens of planes fly over the North Pole using great circle routes between continents. Thursday, December 20, 2018 Around this time of year, we hear a lot about Santa and his elves working hard at the North Pole to make sure all the toys are ready for Christmas. However, we don’t always hear a lot about the place where all the magic happens. Here are just a few fun, scientific facts you should know about the North Pole: Polar-orbiting satellites observe different parts of the Arctic 14 times per dayTwo satellites in the Joint Polar Satellite System constellation, NOAA-20 and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP), circle the Earth from pole-to-pole 14 times each day as the planet rotates on its axis. The two satellites are separated by 50 minutes, which allows researchers to see ice moving in the Arctic using looped imagery. These two views from NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP show young ice moving horizontally in the Chukchi Sea, which is located northwest of Alaska. This imagery was taken on Dec. 18, 2018, using the satellite's VIIRS instrument, which is particularly useful because the region is currently experiencing polar night. (Jorel Torres/CIRA) There’s no land at the North PoleThis image shows ice in the Beaufort Sea, which is just north of Alaska. (Credit: Elisabeth Calvert, Hidden Ocean 2005 Expedition: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration) Unlike Antarctica, there's no land at the North Pole. Instead it's all ice that's floating on top of the Arctic Ocean. Over the past four decades, scientists have seen a steep decline in both the amount and thickness of Arctic sea ice during the summer and winter months. Using the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) on-board NOAA-20 and Suomi NPP, researchers can monitor sea ice extent throughout the year even under cloudy skies, explained Mitch Goldberg, a JPSS program scientist. In addition, Goldberg said NOAA uses data from the microwave imager onboard the Japanese Space Agency's Global Change Observation Mission – Climate (GCOM-C) satellite. Each year, data from these satellites help ice analysts estimate the total sea ice extent as well as differentiate between first-year and multi-year ice. Multi-year ice is thicker and has survived at least one melt season, whereas first-year ice is much thinner. Arctic sea ice usually reaches its minimum around mid-September each year. In 2018, the National Snow and Ice Data Center noted that the amount of multi-year ice remaining this summer was the sixth lowest on record. Ice is seen melting from April to September 2018 in this composite imagery from NOAA-20. (NESDIS) While the shrinking Arctic ice cap won’t contribute to sea level rise, it could influence normal weather patterns and the global climate, according to the National Ocean Service. Sea ice acts like a mirror and helps reflect sunlight and heat back into the atmosphere. If that sea ice shrinks or disappears, more of that solar energy would be absorbed by the open ocean. Additional heat in the ocean will cause temperatures in the Arctic to rise further. Scientists are studying how warming in the Arctic is changing atmospheric pressure patterns, including the jet stream , which has implications for weather across the U.S. and the globe. Knowing the wind speed over the North Pole is important for weather forecasts As the Suomi NPP and NOAA-20 satellites fly over the Arctic, they collect valuable information about the ocean and atmosphere. By tracking clouds using Channel 15 of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite ( VIIRS ) onboard each satellite, researchers can see how the clouds are moving, which helps to estimate wind speed and direction. “Those data are fed into numerical weather prediction models to help better forecast weather particularly out to 3 to 7 days,” Goldberg explained. Forecasters then have a better idea of how fast a weather system will travel. “So if there’s a polar vortex or a cold wave coming from Canada, then our satellites help to provide better predictions of those,” he added. Airlines rely on this type of information because, as Goldberg explained, “the wind speeds at the altitudes planes travel are very important.” The North Pole is experiencing total darknessFrom early October to early March, the North Pole experiences total darkness. So how do polar orbiting satellites still capture imagery of the Arctic during that period? Arron Layns, the JPSS algorithm management project lead, explained that the VIIRS Day/Night Band (DNB) is very sensitive to low levels of visible light at night. The DNB can see nighttime city lights, the light from a single ship at sea, auroras and even the glow of Earth’s atmosphere. This band is particularly useful for forecasters in Alaska because it allows them to see low-level clouds, sea ice and snow during the long nights of the Arctic winter. Scientists captured this view of sea ice in the Kotzebue Sound on April 12, 2018, using the VIIRS Day/Night Band. (NWS Fairbanks) There’s a difference between the North Pole and the Geomagnetic North PoleThis graphic shows the location of the North magnetic pole, the geographic North Pole and the geomagnetic North Pole in 2017. (Cavit) Did you know that using a compass won’t necessarily take you due north if you’re traveling to the North Pole? That’s because there’s a difference between the geographic North Pole and the geomagnetic North Pole, which is what compasses and that handy GPS app on your phone use. Geomagnetic poles change over time, so what was geomagnetic north 10 years ago isn’t the same as it is in 2018. In other words, trekking from Greenland to the North Pole isn’t the best idea if you’re relying solely on a compass. So, if you were planning on tracking down Santa this Christmas, maybe leave it to the experts at the North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD ). They have been tracking Santa’s journey from the North Pole for more than 60 years! Where is the North Pole exactly located?The geographic North Pole is the northern point of the Earth's axis of rotation. The North Pole is found in the Arctic Ocean, on constantly shifting pieces of sea ice. The North Pole is not part of any nation, although Russia placed a titanium flag on the seabed in 2007.
Is the North Pole located in Antarctica?The Arctic is the North Pole, and the South Pole is in Antarctica. The poles are on the top of the Earth, and on the bottom of the Earth, respectively. Based on these maps, you can see that the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land, while Antarctica is land surrounded by ocean on all sides. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
Who located the North Pole?The conquest of the North Pole was for many years credited to US Navy engineer Robert Peary, who claimed to have reached the Pole on 6 April 1909, accompanied by Matthew Henson and four Inuit men, Ootah, Seeglo, Egingwah, and Ooqueah. However, Peary's claim remains highly disputed and controversial.
Where is the south and North Pole located?The North Pole is in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, while the South Pole is on a stable piece of land. The United States has had scientists working at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station since 1956. Between 50 and 200 scientists and support staff live at the this research station at any given time.
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