Tim Gregg, age 10, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for his question:

Why is the South Pole colder than the.North Pole?

The huge Antarctic ice cap wastes its summer sunshine and saves very little warmth for the winter: One reason is because solid ice fields absorb only about 25 per cent of the sun's radiation, and reflect the rest back into space. Another reason is because the solid land loses its warmth faster than the oceans. The South Pole continent covers about five million square miles and most of it is far from the milder waters of the sea. This is why it is the coldest place in the world.

The North Pole is under the Arctic Ocean: The global ocean is always mixing warm and cool currents and some of the warmer water gets up into the Arctic. This makes the water a little warmer, even under the winter ice. The North Pole also is warmer because the sea saves the warmth it gets from the summer sunshine.