Arctic

The Arctic is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying north of the Arctic Circle. This icy area includes parts of several countries, such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States (specifically Alaska), Canada, and Greenland. The Arctic is known for its extreme cold and is covered in snow and ice for much of the year.

Life in the Arctic is specially adapted to survive in such harsh conditions. This includes tiny plants and animals in the water, called phytoplankton and zooplankton, as well as fish, birds, and large animals like seals and whales. On land, the ground is often frozen forever, known as permafrost, and the landscape is called tundra, which has very few trees.

People have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years, developing unique cultures and ways of life. The Arctic indigenous peoples have learned how to hunt, fish, and travel in the ice and snow. Today, the Arctic remains a place of great importance for nature and for the cultures that call it home.

Definition and etymology

The word Arctic comes from the Greek word for "near the Bear, northern." This is because of two constellations seen in the northern sky: Ursa Major, the "Great Bear," and Ursa Minor, the "Little Bear," which contains the celestial north pole.

There are a few ways to define the Arctic area. One way is to say it is all the land north of the Arctic Circle, where the sun stays up all night in summer and doesn’t rise at all in winter. Another way ecologists use is to look at where the warmest month’s average temperature is below 10 °C (50 °F), which is close to where trees stop growing.

Climate

Main articles: Climate of the Arctic and Climate change in the Arctic

The Arctic has very cold winters and cool summers, with most of the precipitation falling as snow. The area receives little snowfall, often with high winds that make it feel like it's snowing continuously. Winters can be extremely cold, with temperatures sometimes dropping below −40 °C.

The Arctic is experiencing effects from global warming, such as shrinking Arctic sea ice and melting in the Greenland ice sheet. These changes impact the region's permafrost and environment.

Flora and fauna

Arctic plants and animals have special ways to survive the cold and dark winters and short, sunny summers. Plants in the Arctic, like dwarf shrubs, graminoids, herbs, lichens, and mosses, grow close to the ground on the tundra. They stay small because the cold makes it hard for them to grow big. In the warmest parts of the Arctic, you can find shrubs up to about 2 metres tall, but in colder areas, only tiny plants like mosses and lichens survive.

Animals in the Arctic also have special tricks to stay alive. Herbivores like the Arctic hare, lemming, muskox, and reindeer eat plants and are hunted by predators such as the snowy owl, Arctic fox, grizzly bear, and Arctic wolf. The polar bear mostly hunts sea animals from the ice. The Arctic is also home to many birds and marine animals like seals, walruses, and whales such as narwhals, orcas, and belugas. Other land animals include wolverines, moose, Dall sheep, ermines, and Arctic ground squirrels.

Natural resources

The Arctic is home to many important natural resources such as oil, gas, minerals, freshwater, fish, and forests in some areas. Modern technology and changes in economic policies have increased interest in these resources.

The Arctic also contains some of the world's largest wild areas, which are important for protecting plants and animals. However, more human activity can harm these special habitats and affect the animals that live there. The Arctic holds about one-fifth of the Earth's water supply.

See also: Natural resources of the Arctic and Petroleum exploration in the Arctic

Paleontology

During the Cretaceous period, the Arctic had seasonal snows, but not enough to stop plants from growing. Animals like the Chasmosaurus, Hypacrosaurus, Troodon, and Edmontosaurus might have traveled north to enjoy the summer and then moved south for the winter. Some believe that dinosaurs also lived year-round in very high latitudes, such as near the Colville River.

Indigenous population

Main article: Circumpolar peoples

Further information: Indigenous peoples of Siberia and Inuit Circumpolar Council

The Arctic has been home to many groups of people for thousands of years. The earliest known people in the central and eastern Arctic are called the Arctic small tool tradition. They lived around 2,500 years before our time.

Later, the Dorset culture lived in the same areas. Around the year 1300, another group called the Thule culture arrived. They became the ancestors of today’s Inuit people, who now live across the Arctic, including in parts of Russia, the United States, Canada, and Greenland. Other groups, such as the Sámi and Chukchi, also call the Arctic home.

International cooperation and politics

The eight Arctic nations — Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and the United States — work together through the Arctic Council. This group includes representatives from six indigenous populations: the Aleut International Association, Arctic Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar Council, Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, and Saami Council. The council focuses on environmental issues and avoids disputes about borders or resources.

All Arctic nations share concerns about protecting the environment, managing resources, and ensuring safe shipping routes. They are working on rules for shipping and tourism in Arctic waters. International research in the Arctic has always been a team effort, with many countries working together through groups like the International Polar Year and the International Arctic Science Committee.

Main article: Territorial claims in the Arctic

See also: Petroleum exploration in the Arctic

Main article: Save the Arctic

Climate change

Main article: Climate change in the Arctic

The Arctic is experiencing changes in its climate more quickly than the rest of the world. The area covered by sea ice is shrinking, especially in late summer and early autumn. This loss of ice affects animals and plants that depend on it for their homes.

Warming in the Arctic can also affect the whole planet. As the ice melts, it can release gases that trap heat, making the Earth even warmer. Scientists are watching the Arctic closely because these changes can have big effects far away, including possible rises in sea levels around the world.

Arctic waters

The Arctic waters include many important seas and straits that surround the North Pole. These waters are home to unique plants and animals that have adapted to cold environments.

The main bodies of water in the Arctic are the Arctic Ocean, Baffin Bay, Beaufort Sea, Barents Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Chukchi Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Nares Strait, and Norwegian Sea. These seas connect and help shape the climate and ecosystems of the Arctic.

Arctic lands

The Arctic is a cold area around the North Pole, north of a line called the Arctic Circle. It includes parts of several countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, the United States including Alaska, Canada with areas like Yukon, Northwest_Territories, and Nunavut, Denmark through Greenland, and Iceland. This region has land that is mostly covered in snow and ice during certain times of the year. The ground here is frozen much of the time, and trees are rare, creating a landscape known as tundra.