Why is it not hot at the north pole?

Question

The south pole is the coldest place on earth because all the cold air sinks to the bottom of the world. But the north pole should be the hotest place as all the hot air should rise to the top of the world.

I am amazed at how many of you thought this was a serious question!

Answer 1

I know this isn't a serious question; but all the answers I read were very incorrect. The North and South pole are the coldeast places on Earth because they're the furthest from the burning hot core. Duh.

Answer 2

Your theory about air 'sinking to the South Pole' is untrue and unethical. That isn't the way gravity works.
It isn't hot at either of the poles because neither face the Sun directly at any point. And with no Sun, there is no heat. So, Neither of the Poles will be 'hot' because the Earth rotates around the Sun in such a formation that neither of the Poles get direct heat.

Answer 3

no, the earth rotates around the sun because of the magnetic pole which is in the core of the world. above that is the equater meaning that the farthest place from the equator is the coldest place in the world. thats also the reason for the compass pointing north, every couple thousands of years the magnetic pole shifts and then when the time comes compasses will point south

Answer 4

It's not hot at the poles because of the low sun angle. Look at this picture.
http://academic.evergreen.edu/c/colmic01/images/midnight_sun.jpg

Next time you're outside in the early morning or late evening when the sun is just above the horizon, notice how weak the sun's rays are.

The south pole is colder than the north pole because the south pole is in the middle of a continent and it is also 9,300' above sea level. The north pole is at sea level and is in the middle of the ocean. The ocean (even while it's covered with ice) moderates the temperature, even in the darkness of winter.

if you weren't serious, why did you ask this question? You seemed to be a person likely to be ignorant of alot of science; I wanted to help set you straight in at least one area...

Answer 5

Studies show a hot North Pole

By Joyce Howard Price
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
June 1, 2006

Nearly 55 million years ago, the North Pole seemed more like Florida than the icehouse it is now, with balmy temperatures averaging about 75 degrees Fahrenheit, cypress trees and swamps filled with alligators, three new studies show.
"It's conclusive the Arctic was extraordinarily warm at this time period. This study provides some actual numbers," said Mark Pagani, a geology professor at Yale University and a study author.
Mr. Pagani was part of a multinational expedition that traveled to the central Arctic two years ago and conducted research designed to determine just how hot it once was there. The explorers' findings are published in this week's issue of the journal Nature.
Scientists already knew that the Earth experienced a long period of what they described as "natural global warming" millions of years ago. They also knew that most of the Earth heated up about 55 million years ago, but there is uncertainty about why. Scientists speculated that the causes could be a methane gas release from the ocean, massive tree-burning or volcanic eruptions.
But before their on-the-scene polar research, Mr. Pagani and his team thought temperatures at the top of the world were cooler than anywhere else, about 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
They discovered that those estimates were low when they dug up core samples from deep beneath the floor of the Arctic Ocean.
"Core samples are the best time recorder of the Earth's history," Mr. Pagani said.
The samples, coupled with use of computer modeling and principles of thermal dynamics, convinced the team that the Arctic was "subtropical in nature" 55 million years ago.
While some reports have characterized the Arctic as a "tropical paradise" during the prehistoric time, Mr. Pagani points out that it probably had mosquitoes the size of a human head.
He said he and his colleagues are convinced that the dramatic spike in temperature at the North Pole was sparked by a massive amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that accelerated the greenhouse gas effect.
Asked where the carbon dioxide originated, Mr. Pagani said, "There was a much higher background of carbon dioxide at that time." In fact, levels then were four times greater than they are now, and the gas was "emitted by volcanoes."
He said he knows that not everyone will agree with this theory and that some will argue that a methane discharge caused the sharp spike in heat.
"Methane is a very strong greenhouse gas, but it does not remain in the atmosphere long," he said.
In contrast, Mr. Pagani said, carbon dioxide "builds up" in the atmosphere and can reside there for 100,000 years.
Another scientist involved in the research, Hans Brinkhuis of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, theorized that the Arctic became frigid and icy because of a prolific fern called Azolla, which began sucking up huge amounts of carbon dioxide about 50 million years ago.

Answer 6

No no. Both the sound pole and the north pole are the coldest places on the earth's face because the sun doesn't hit them as much as say south America. It all in how earth is positioned in space and where and how much the sun hits on that area.

Answer 7

The north pole and the south pole are the farthest places on the earth from the sun. As they don't receive as much sunlight as other places do, they are quite cold.

Answer 8

Because of the angle that the sun light falls on earth. In Tropics the angle is 90 degrees but at the Poles it could go down to 0 degrees.

Answer 9

Its nothing to do with where the air sinks to.

The north and south pole are the farthest points of the earth away from the sun.

Answer 10

The sun rays is closer to the equator, the north and south pole are more away from the sun.