Arctic Info

The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. In the northern hemisphere, the Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean (which overlies the North Pole) and parts of Canada, Greenland (a territory of Denmark), Russia, the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The word Arctic comes from the Greek word arktos, which means bear. This is due to the location of the constellation Ursa Major, the "Great Bear", above the Arctic region. There are many numerous definitions of the Arctic region. The boundary is generally considered to be north of the Arctic Circle (66° 33’N), which is the limit of the midnight sun and the polar night. Other definitions of the Arctic are based on climate and ecology, such as the 10°C (50°F) July isotherm, which also roughly corresponds to the tree line in most of the Arctic. Socially and politically, the Arctic region includes the northern territories of the eight Arctic states, including Lapland, although by natural science definitions much of this territory is considered subarctic. The Arctic is mostly a vast, ice-covered ocean (which is sometimes considered to be a northern sea of the Atlantic Ocean) surrounded by treeless, frozen ground. the Arctic teems with life, including organisms living in the ice, fish and marine mammals, birds, land animals and human societies. The Arctic region is, by its nature, a unique area. The cultures in the region and the Arctic indigenous peoples have adapted to its cold and extreme conditions. From the perspective of the physical, chemical and biological balance in the world, the Arctic region is in a key position. The Arctic reacts sensitively particularly to changes in the climate, which reflect extensively back on the global state of the environment. From the perspective of research into climatic change, the Arctic region is considered an early warning system........

Arctic Climate Info:
The Arctic climate is characterized by cold winters and cool summers. Precipitation almost always comes in the form of snow; it hasn't rained there in over two hundred years. The arctic annual precipitation is very low with an average of less than 51 cm (20 in.). High winds often stir up snow creating the illusion of continuous snowfall. Its average winter temperatures can be as low as -37°C (-34.6°F) and the coldest recorded temperature is approximately -68°C (-90.4°F). The Arctic climate is moderated by oceanic influences, having generally warmer temperatures and heavier snowfalls than the colder and drier interior areas. However, the main part of the Arctic Ocean remains frozen throughout the year.

Arctic Plants :
The tundra vegetation of the Arctic is composed of plants such as dwarf shrubs, graminoids, herbs, lichens and mosses, which grow close to the ground. It is so far north that it is too cold for trees to grow. As one moves northward, the amount of warmth available for plant growth decreases considerably. In the northernmost areas of the Arctic, plants are at their metabolic limits, and small differences in the total amount of summer warmth make large differences in the amount of energy available for maintenance, growth and reproduction. Colder summer temperatures cause the size, abundance, productivity and variety of plants to decrease. In the warmest parts of the Arctic, shrubs are common and can reach 2 m in height; sedges, mosses and lichens can form thick layers. In the coldest parts of the Arctic much of the ground is bare, nonvascular plants such as lichens and mosses predominate, along with a few scattered grasses and forbs (like the arctic poppy).



Arctic Animals :
Polar bears have white fur so they can camouflage in the snow. The wolverine is part of the weasel family, and lives in holes in the ground. Arctic foxes are hard to spot in the snow because of their thick white fur. The Ptarmigan is a type of bird which nests in the snowy mountains of the Arctic, where they raise their young. Beluga means white one in Russian. Adults are white and the young are grey. And some other animals include the Arctic Wolf, Ringed Seal, Lemmings, and the Arctic Hare.

Arctic Natural resources :
The Arctic region includes sizeable potential natural resources (oil, gas, minerals, forest - if the subarctic is included - and fish) to which modern technology and the opening up of Russia have given significant new opportunities. The interest of the tourism industry in the cold and exotic Arctic is also on the increase. This is for example, seen in the rise in international tourism as a significant opportunity but also as a threat. The Arctic region is one of the last and most extensive continuous wilderness areas in the world and its significance in preserving biodiversity and genotypes is considerable. The increasing presence of people in the Arctic fragments vital habitats. The Arctic is particularly susceptible to the abrasion of groundcover and to the disturbance of the rare reproduction places of the animals that are characteristic to the region.

Paleo-History :
During the Cretaceous, the Arctic still had seasonal snows, though only a light dusting and not enough to permanently hinder plant growth. Animals such as Chasmosaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Troodon, and Edmontosaurus may have all migrated north to take advantage of the summer growing season, and migrated south to warmer climes when the winter came. A similar situation may also have been found amongst dinosaurs that lived in Antarctic regions, such as Muttaburrasaurus of Australia.

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