Pam Thomas, age 13, of Shreveport, La., for her question:

Why is the Arctic warmer than the Antarctic?

The North Pole is in the Arctic Ocean. The South Pole is in the center of the vast continent of Antarctica. Land and sea masses react differently to temperatures. The sea is more moderate, the land masses tend to be more extreme in climate. What's more, the Arctic Ocean is open to warm currents pouring into it from southern seas. The land masses which surround it are heaved into plains, valleys and high mountain ranges and such land features tend to stir up storms and large cyclones. The Arctic Ocean is invaded by both warm air and warm currents. Though much of the sea is covered with pack ice throughout the whole year. The north polar region is moderated by the land around it and by warm ocean currents.

The south polar region has no warm breezes, no warm ocean currents to moderate its bitter weather. The big icy continent is surrounded by seas that swirl endlessly around and around its shores. No warm currents break through to wash the icy cliffs along its shores. There are no large land masses around these cold waters. Hence, no storms whip up to blow south and bring warm winds to the cold continent.