Wrap up warm because we are off on an interesting and cold adventure to the Arctic region in this lesson. Here is what you will read about:
The Arctic region, or the Arctic, is a geographic region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Scientists usually define the Arctic as the area above the ‘Arctic Circle’ — an imaginary line that circles around the top of the globe.
Do you know the name 'Arctic' comes from a Greek word meaning 'bear'? But, it does not mean the grizzly bear or polar bear. The name refers to the constellation Ursa Major (the "Great Bear") and Ursa Minor (the "Little Bear"), which appears in the northern starry sky.
Technically speaking, the Arctic is the area above 66 ° 33'N North latitude. In theory, the areas north of the Arctic Circle have at least one day without daylight in the winter and at least one nightless night in the summer. However, in practice, this does not happen everywhere because the surface of the earth is uneven, and the light refracts in the atmosphere.
It is quite chilly up there with extremely harsh weather. Winter temperature can drop below - 50 °C.
The Arctic land area comprises only about 5% of the land surface of Earth. The ice of the Arctic contains around ten percent of the world’s freshwater.
The Arctic has natural resources, including oil and natural gas, large quantities of minerals including iron ore, nickle, and copper.
Why the Arctic is so important?
The giant, white frozen Arctic sea ice acts as a huge reflector at the top of the planet, bouncing some of the sun’s rays back into space, helping regulate the Earth's temperature. Over the past few decades, global warming is causing the Arctic ice to melt. When the Arctic ice melts, there is less to reflect the sun rays, and the oceans around it absorb more sunlight and heat up, magnifying the warming effect.
What type of vegetation grows in the Arctic?
The Arctic landscape ranges from cold and dry deserts to brush and lush tundra plants on permanently frozen soil to icecaps like Greenland’s.
The soil in the region that allows plant life to thrive is a type of soil known as permafrost. This type of soil consists of a layer of soil and partially decomposed matter frozen all year round.
It partially thaws and refreezes annually. With this phenomenon, only plants with shallow roots are likely to thrive, which means trees cannot grow there. The growing season is also short, which contributes to the kind of vegetation in the region. The plants grow close together, close to the ground, and are only a few centimeters tall.
What is the Arctic Treeline?
In the more southern areas of the Arctic, you will find the vast boreal forests full of fir, spruce and birch trees. But as you move north, the land becomes treeless. Cold temperatures as low as - 60 degrees Celsius, very high wind speeds, and a dearth of rain, results in a northern boundary for trees. This “treeline” marks the point where trees can no longer survive such cold conditions.
Arctic Treeline is the northern limit of tree growth; the sinuous boundary between tundra and boreal forest; taken by many to delineate the actual southern boundary of the arctic zone.
What animals are found in the Arctic?
In addition to humans, there are also many animals in the Arctic. The animals native to the Arctic region include seals, walruses, the Arctic fox, white hares, reindeer, and musk oxen.
The most well-known resident of the Arctic is probably the polar bear which – together with the Kodiak bear – is the largest land-based predator on Earth. Many Arctic coastal areas offer extremely rich habitats bustling with seabirds, fish, marine mammals, and invertebrates. One fascinating species found only in the Arctic is the narwhal, often referred to as the ‘unicorn of the sea’. Why? Well, male narwhals have a straight tusk projecting from the front of their head that can grow to over 3m in length.
Do people live in the Arctic?
The extreme Arctic climate makes the region a forbidding place to travel and a challenging place to live. Even so, people have found ways to explore and live in the Arctic. Indigenous peoples have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years. Explorers, adventurers, and researchers have also ventured into the Arctic to explore its unique environment and geography.
Approximately four million people call this winter wonderland home, but only very few live in the iciest regions. Among these are indigenous peoples: Aleuts, Athabascans, Gwich’in, Inuit, Sami, and the many indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic. They inhabit three different continents, usually in coastal regions, and are separated by geographical barriers. They’ve found ingenious ways to survive in one of the harshest environments on our planet.
Igloo (iglu in Inuktitut, meaning “house”), is a winter dwelling made of snow. Historically, Inuit across the Arctic lived in igloos before the introduction of modern, European-style homes. While igloos are no longer the common type of housing used by the Inuit, they remain culturally significant in Arctic communities.
Many people in the Arctic today live in modern towns and cities, much like their neighbors to the south. People also work in the Arctic, extracting oil and gas from rich deposits beneath the permafrost, working in tourism, or conducting research. Other people in the arctic still live in small villages much the way their ancestors did.
So, there it all is. Hope you enjoyed reading this lesson!
