Antarctica gets back to us....

Johan, the scientist we are in touch with in Amudsen-Scott Polar Station in Antarctica has replied to our questions!

> How far is the South Pole from the North Pole?

The two points are directly opposite on a globe, so
the answer is half the circumference of the earth.
The circumference is often rounded as 24,000 miles,
so we're 12,000 miles from the North Pole.  That's
about 20,000 km.



> How many people live in the South pole?

The summer population is typically around 200, while
in winter it's more like 50.  No one actually "live"
here; we all spend time here and then return to the
"real world", though a number of us keep coming back
down, eventually spending more time in Antarctica
than not.

> I like to learn about the weather in north pole.

I don't know much about weather at the North Pole,
though I know that it's a lot warmer than at the South
Pole.  The South Pole is in the middle of a continent,
and quite high (we're on top of about 3 km of ice),
while the North Pole is on the frozen ocean, at sea
level.  Since the atmosphere generally gets colder
as you go up (think snow on the mountain tops), it's
colder here than there.  Our temperatures range from
about -20C in the summer to -75C in the winter.  We
tend to have fairly steady winds, but they're generally
light, typically between 4 and 8 m/s.  The sun is up
for six months and then down for six months.

> How long time do you live there?

I've been here for about ten months.  Most people
spend only the three months of the summer, but folks
who winter are here for about ten, and the full year
is a 12-13 months commitment.

> How far is the place that you live from the sea?

It's about 850 miles, or 1400 km, to the nearest
ocean.

> What kinds of animals live under the water???

There's no water here, but in the ocean around the
continent of Antarctica there are sponges, starfish,
anemones, fish of many kinds (including some that
have no red blood cells and that have antifreeze
proteins in their blood), sea birds like penguins,
seals, and whales.

> What kind of plants exist there???

Again, none here, since we're just on ice.  On the
coasts there are mosses and lichens, and a couple of
little flowering plants.


> Do they live many people there???

Many (about 30) nations have stations (about 40) in
Antarctica, but even so, the whole population of the
continent is about 4000 in the summer and 1000 in the
winter.

> can people from hot countries for example brazil
> can they live in antarctica???

Sure.  Brazil does have an Antarctic station.  Anyone
can spend time here, you just have to be sure that you
have the right clothes if you're going outside.

> how can someone survive in a place like that?

It's not that hard.  The station that we live in has
nice facilities, and we wear warm clothes outside.  We
do have to be completely self-sufficient, because we
can't call for help if something breaks, and we can't
run to the store if we need a spare part.  So in
addition to the scientists working here, we have
carpenters, plumbers, mechanics, computer folks,
medical staff, cooks, etc.

> Could you send us some photos of you in the station
> or even a video to see what it's like where you live?

I expect you could find some videos of the place on
Youtube.  And I know that Google Earth has some shots
both inside and outside of station.  I hate having my
picture taken, so there aren't any of me, but there are
lots of other people who post pictures of themselves
down here on blogs.  You could probably find those with
google, or you can start here:

http://southpolestation.com