Polar Climate Zone · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The Polar Climate Zone

Science · Polar Regions · ages 9-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. About how far from the Equator does the polar climate zone begin?

    • Around 10° latitude
    • Around 60° latitude
    • Only exactly at 90° latitude, the poles themselves

  2. Polar is one of Earth's five main climate zones. Which of these is also one of the five?

    • Temperate
    • Rainforest
    • Underground

  3. In the polar climate zone, summer temperatures rarely climb above 10°C.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Look at the chart. Which place gets more rain and snow in a year?

    SaharaDesert25PolarDesert10
    • Sahara Desert
    • Polar Desert
    • They get exactly the same amount

  5. Which fact best explains why the polar zone is so much colder than the tropical zone?

    • It has more rain and snow, which cools the air
    • It sits at a higher altitude than other zones
    • It is far from the Equator, so sunlight arrives at a low angle and spreads out

  6. Which words best describe the typical weather in the polar climate zone?

    • Hot, wet, and calm
    • Cold, dry, and windy
    • Mild, rainy, and foggy

  7. Finn says the North Pole is cold because it is high up on a mountain. What is wrong with Finn's idea?

    • The North Pole is near sea level. It's cold because of its high latitude, not its height
    • Finn is completely correct
    • The North Pole is not cold at all

  8. A weather station reports an average summer high of 6°C, only 8mm of rain and snow for the whole year, and winds strong enough to flatten a tent. Which climate zone is this station most likely in?

    • Tropical
    • Temperate
    • Polar
LightMySky · lightmysky.comW1-mt_GbZFuGDFsa-s1

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Polar Climate Zone W1-mt_GbZFuGDFsa-s1

  1. Around 60° latitude · Polar climate starts at about 60° latitude, north or south, not just at the exact poles.
  2. Temperate · The five zones are tropical, arid, temperate, continental, and polar. Rainforest and underground are not among them.
  3. True · Even in the warmest month, most polar places stay below 10°C.
  4. Sahara Desert · Even though the poles look icy and wet, polar deserts actually get less rain and snow each year than the Sahara Desert.
  5. It is far from the Equator, so sunlight arrives at a low angle and spreads out · Being far from the Equator is the main reason. Low-angle sunlight spreads its heat over a wider area, so less warms any single spot.
  6. Cold, dry, and windy · Polar weather stays cold all year, gets very little rain or snow, and often has strong winds.
  7. The North Pole is near sea level. It's cold because of its high latitude, not its height · There is no mountain at the North Pole, it's frozen ocean near sea level. Latitude, not altitude, explains the cold.
  8. Polar · Cold summers, very little precipitation, and strong wind together point to the polar zone.
Worksheet · LightMySky