A map of the Arctic. The red line is the 10 °C isotherm in July, commonly used to define the Arctic region; also shown is the Arctic Circle. The white area shows the average minimum extent of sea ice in summer as of 1975.[1]
The climate of the Arctic is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. There is a large amount of variability in climate across the Arctic, but all regions experience extremes of solar radiation in both summer and winter. Some parts of the Arctic are covered by ice (sea ice, glacial ice, or snow) year-round, and nearly all parts of the Arctic experience long periods with some form of ice on the surface.
The Arctic consists of ocean that is largely surrounded by land. As such, the climate of much of the Arctic is moderated by the ocean water, which can never have a temperature below −2 °C (28 °F). In winter, this relatively warm water, even though covered by the polar ice pack, keeps the North Pole from being the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is also part of the reason that Antarctica is so much colder than the Arctic. In summer, the presence of the nearby water keeps coastal areas from warming as much as they might otherwise.
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caused by contemporary climate change in theArctic region range from the well-known, such as the loss of sea ice or melting ofthe Greenland ice sheet,...
summer. TheArctic consists of ocean that is almost surrounded by landmasses like Russia and Canada. As such, theclimateof much oftheArctic is moderated...
TheArctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest ofthe world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately 14,060,000 km2 (5,430,000 sq mi) and...
the possibility of a 2-meter sea level rise by 2100 under high emissions. Climate change has led to decades of shrinking and thinning oftheArctic sea...
much of these soil-contained greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, creating a feedback cycle that increases climate change. Arctic tundra occurs in the far...
Under the Köppen climate classification, much of mainland Northern Canada has a subarctic climate, with a tundra climate in most oftheArctic Archipelago...
increase in the boreal forest (taiga). This decrease is linked to the warming oftheArctic due to climate change. Arctic plants have a number of adaptations...
Sea ice in theArctic region has declined in recent decades in area and volume due to climate change. It has been melting more in summer than it refreezes...
TheArcticClimate Impact Assessment (ACIA) is a study describing the ongoing climate change in theArctic and its consequences: rising temperatures, loss...
to the study ofclimate change in recent years. A major reason why research in theArctic is valuable for the study ofclimate change is that the effects...
Arctic Alaska or Far North Alaska is a region ofthe U.S. state of Alaska generally referring to the northern areas on or close to theArctic Ocean. It...
the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, the Gulf of Alaska and North Atlantic Ocean. The North American Arctic lies above theArctic Circle. It is part ofthe Arctic...
TheArctic Cordillera is a terrestrial ecozone in northern Canada characterized by a vast, deeply dissected chain of mountain ranges extending along the...
and Arctic peoples are umbrella terms for the various indigenous peoples oftheArctic region. Approximately four million people are resident in the Arctic...
TheArctic consists of land, internal waters, territorial seas, exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and international waters above theArctic Circle (66 degrees...
while climate change forces polar bears to change their hunting and denning patterns. Additionally, the unique marine ecosystem oftheArctic basin is...
Climate change feedbacks are effects of global warming that amplify or diminish the effect of forces that initially cause the warming. Positive feedbacks...
linked to recent climate change. TheArctic dipole lets more southern winds into theArctic Ocean resulting in more ice melting. The summer 2007 event...
positive climate change feedback (meaning one that amplifies warming), as methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. TheArctic region is one of many natural...
TheArctic ice pack is the sea ice cover oftheArctic Ocean and its vicinity. TheArctic ice pack undergoes a regular seasonal cycle in which ice melts...
The Canadian Arctic tundra is a biogeographic designation for Northern Canada's terrain generally lying north ofthe tree line or boreal forest, that corresponds...
TheArctic oscillation (AO) or Northern Annular Mode/Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode (NAM) is a weather phenomenon at theArctic pole north of 20 degrees...
TheArctic Archipelago, also known as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago lying to the north ofthe Canadian continental mainland, excluding...
especially true for theArctic, whereas the elevated terrain in Antarctica limits the influence ofthe lapse rate feedback. Some examples ofclimate system feedbacks...
Archived July 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Arctic 66(1), pp. 94–104 (2013). Nunavut and Climate Change Archived April 14, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Aboriginal...
elsewhere. The strip of land along the shore oftheArctic Ocean, as well as theArctic islands, have a polar climate, namely, an ice cap climate (EF) on...
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