At the top and bottom of Earth, seasonal changes follow dramatically different patterns. New satellite observations of polar surface temperatures reveal how the Arctic and Antarctic respond to seasonal sunlight, darkness, and shifting energy flows over two complete years.
This animation shows surface temperatures across the Arctic and Antarctic changing from extremely cold dark blue to milder and warmer shades of light blue, yellow, orange, and red. The data come from NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission. Its twin CubeSats began collecting science data in July 2024 and have now recorded two complete seasonal cycles at both poles.
The Arctic and Antarctic experience opposite seasons because they are located in different hemispheres. Their seasonal temperature changes also differ significantly. In the Arctic, long, dark winters transition into summers warm enough to thaw large areas of tundra and melt sea ice. Antarctica, the coldest continent on Earth, remains much colder, with summer temperatures rarely rising above freezing before winter brings extreme cold once again.
Polar surface temperatures provide important insight into Earth’s energy budget—the balance between energy entering and leaving the Earth system. Solar energy absorbed by Earth’s surface is released as infrared heat. That heat moves between the surface and atmosphere before eventually escaping into space. The polar regions play a vital role in this process. Atmospheric and ocean circulation transports excess heat from the tropics toward the poles, where it radiates away to space, helping regulate global temperatures.
“By measuring invisible heat radiating from Earth’s coldest places, PREFIRE is helping scientists understand why the poles are changing so rapidly, and what those changes might mean for the rest of the planet,” said Chad Greene, a glaciologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Scientists have known that far-infrared radiation accounts for nearly 60 percent of the energy Earth releases into space. However, this invisible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum had never been comprehensively measured across the globe. By monitoring far-infrared energy in near real time, NASA’s PREFIRE mission is helping scientists improve climate models and better understand how the Earth system works.
“Weather systems, river flows, shipping routes, and ice sheet stability are all influenced by energy movement in a part of the spectrum that only PREFIRE can see,” said Tristan L’Ecuyer, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and principal investigator of the PREFIRE mission. “Now that the invisible has been made visible, we can begin to improve weather and climate predictions that industries, our national defense, and Arctic communities rely on.”
Maps courtesy of Chad Greene, NASA/JPL, using data from NASA’s PREFIRE mission. Story by Kathryn Hansen.
Source: science.nasa.gov