Watch these recommended TED-Ed Lessons

The Arctic vs. the Antarctic
How can you tell the two poles apart? Where are the penguins? What about the bears? The Arctic pole is located in the Northern Hemisphere within the deep Arctic Ocean, while the Antarctic pole is smack in the middle of the ice-covered Antarctica. Camille Seaman describes how enterprising people and organisms have found ways to reside around both poles despite the frigid temperatures.

When will the next ice age happen?
Throughout Earth’s history, climate has varied greatly. For hundreds of millions of years, the planet had no polar ice caps. Without this ice, the sea level was 70 meters higher. At the other extreme, about 700 million years ago, Earth became almost entirely covered in ice, during an event known as “Snowball Earth.” What causes these swings in the planet’s climate? Lorraine Lisiecki investigates.


Additional references

Who owns Antarctica? - Antarctica.gov.au
Antarctica is governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty system. The Antarctic Treaty puts aside the potential for conflict over sovereignty. It entered into force in 1961 and has since been acceded to by many other nations.

Who owns Antarctica’s pristine oceans? - Smithsonian
How humans finally stopped squabbling and protected one of the world’s most pristine marine areas.