North Pole Facts

Arctic Sea Ice Volume and Area on Downward Trends Since 1980 

As one of two poles contributing to Earth’s magnetic field and the unofficially recognized home of Santa Claus, the North Pole is part of the arctic, with its tundra, polar bears, and marine life. Below are some facts on this mysterious, icy pole.  

1. The North Pole is warmer than the South Pole partly due to how the North Pole is surrounded by land (North America and Asia), while the South Pole is completely surrounded by water, allowing for a persistent circumpolar current that blocks it from warmer waters. However, the North Pole still has average temperatures of 32°F in the summer and -40°F in the winter. 

2. At the North Pole, the sun rises and sets once a year—leading to six months of continuous daylight (midnight sun) and six months of continuous night (polar night). 

3. According to National Geographic, no one lives in the North Pole, but drifting stations (such as by Russia) are sent every year for research. One discovery from these drifting stations was the Lomonosov Ridge, an underwater mountain chain from Siberia to Ellesmere Island, Canada. 

4. Polar bears rarely migrate to the North Pole, given its unpredictable habitat. There were about 26,000 bears in 2023, living primarily above the Arctic Circle.  

5. According to the Polar Science Center of the University of Washington, arctic sea ice volume at the end of 2023 was 14,122 cubic kilometers (about 3,388 cubic miles). This was still higher than the 2017 low point of 12,800 cubic kilometers (about 3,070 cubic miles). 

6. NASA reported that the annual September “minimal arctic sea ice area”—a term for the extent of summer sea ice—has been decreasing by 12.2% per decade. In 1980, the area was 7.54 million square kilometers (about 2.91 million square miles); in 2024, it was 4.28 million square kilometers (about 1.65 million square miles).  

Sources: 

• https://climatekids.nasa.gov/polar-temperatures/   

• https://www.americanoceans.org/facts/north-pole-vs-south-pole/   

• https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/arctic-weather-and-climate   

• https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/north-pole/   

• https://www.fws.gov/species/polar-bear-ursus-maritimus   

• https://psc.apl.uw.edu/research/projects/arctic-sea-ice-volume-anomaly/  

• https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/arctic-sea-ice/?intent=121