Some say that Father Christmas resides in the North Pole. However, the exact location of the North Pole changes by a few metres every year because of wobbles in the Earth’s axis caused by the planet not being perfectly symmetrical or rigid. More relevant for Santa’s workshop is that the North Pole is actually in water!

In winter, the surface of the North Pole is frozen. Come summer, that ice melts away. The warm sea currents help to melt and form sea ice in different places. The currents also push and pull the sea ice forming cracks and pressure ridges.

Thanks to climate change, the North Pole has seen open water increasingly frequently since the 1980s. The swimmer and climate activist Lewis Pugh proved the point by swimming across the North Pole in 2007.

Questions on Santa’s address remain but the impacts of climate change are undeniable!