earth science

Polar high

Polar high is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Polar high rather than just read about it. In short: In meteorology, the polar highs are areas of high atmospheric pressure, sometimes similar to anticyclones, around the North and South Poles; the south polar high (Antarctic high) being the stronger one because land gains and loses heat more effectively than sea, which the north has much less of. The cold temperatures in the polar regions cause air to descend, creating the high pressure (a process called subsidence)…

Key takeaways

Polar high belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Polar high to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Polar high from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In meteorology, the polar highs are areas of high atmospheric pressure, sometimes similar to anticyclones, around the North and South Poles; the south polar high (Antarctic high) being the stronger one because land gains and loses heat more effectively than sea, which the north has much less of. The cold temperatures in the polar regions cause air to descend, creating the high pressure (a process called subsidence), just as the warm temperatures around the equator cause air to rise instead and create the low pressure Intertropical Convergence Zone. Rising air also occurs along bands of low pressure situated just below the polar highs around the 50th parallel of latitude. These extratropical convergence zones are occupied by the polar fronts where air masses of polar origin meet and clash with those of tropical or subtropical origin in a stationary front. This convergence of rising air completes the vertical cycle around the polar cell in each latitudinal hemisphere's polar region. Closely related to this concept is the polar vortex, a rotating low-pressure circle of cold air around the poles. Surface temperatures under the polar highs are one of the coldest on Earth, with no month having an average temperature above freezing. Regions under the polar high also experience very low levels of precipitation, which leads them to be known as "polar deserts". Air flows outwards from the poles to create the polar easterlies in the Arctic and Antarctic areas.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Polar high

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Polar high claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Polar high before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Polar high ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Polar high

In research: Polar high appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Polar high in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Polar high is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Climatology stubs, Meteorological phenomena, Regional climate effects, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Polar high outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Polar high in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Polar high means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Polar high out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Polar high in simple terms?

Why does Polar high matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Polar high?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Polar high.