Exploring The Arctic

The Arctic Region The Great Bear constellation is always visible in the north.  The Greek word for bear is arktos.  Arctic basically means north. The Arctic is not a country or a continent.  It is an area, or a region. The Arctic Circle is a line of latitude at 66 ½ ◦N.  Inside the Arctic Circle, there is at least one period of 24 hours of daylight each year (Polar Day), and at least one period of 24 hours of darkness each year (Polar Night).  As you move further north, the Polar Day and Night increase to six months.

The Arctic Countries The Arctic Circle includes the northern parts of these countries: Russia, Canada, the United States (Alaska), Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark.  The Arctic Circle includes three continents: Europe, Asia, and North America.

The North Pole The northernmost point on earth is called the North Pole.  On a globe, the North Pole is where all the lines of longitude meet, at 90◦N.  There is no pole. There is nothing but water and shifting sea-ice at the North Pole.  

Arctic Ocean The water inside the Arctic Circle is called the Arctic Ocean.  It freezes and melts with the winter and summer temperatures every year.  The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean.

Glacier, Iceberg Ice frozen on land is called a glacier.  A glacier can be as big as a mountain.  A chunk or mountain of ice floating on the ocean is called an iceberg.  Most of an iceberg is beneath the surface of the water. The great ship the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. Arctic Glacier Arctic Iceberg

Climate Change Planet Earth is slowly getting warmer.  The average temperature has risen almost 2￮F in fifty years.  The Arctic is warming, too. The September ice measured 2.7 million square miles in 1980; in 2017 it measured 1.9 million square miles.  It is decreasing 13% every ten years.

Humans Humans have been living in the Arctic for over 5000 years.  They have adapted to the harsh climate. The Inuit are the Native People of Arctic Canada, the US, and Greenland.  Their skills include building ice houses called igloos, and paddling in slender boats called kayaks.  The Sami are the Native People of Arctic Europe.  They were nomads who herded reindeer. There are several cities within the Arctic Circle: Tromso, Norway has a university; Murmansk, Russia has a population of 300,000, all shivering in the -4◦F winter.

Northwest Passage About 400 years ago, explorers like Henry Hudson started thinking about the Northwest Passage across the Arctic as a shortcut from England to China.  (Note:  the Suez Canal, that creates a Mediterranean Shortcut from Europe to Asia, was constructed in the British colony of Egypt in 1869.)  From Britain to China, going south around Africa, is a sea journey of 16,500 miles that takes 68 days.  If you could sail across the Arctic Circle, this journey would be 6,500 miles and take 30 days. Half the time!  Explorers tried for centuries to find the Northwest Passage.  Problem:  the Arctic freezes solid every winter; ships can’t get through.  However:  As Arctic sea-ice shrinks with climate change, an Arctic shortcut may become possible.

Animals Polar bears are at the top of the Arctic food chain.  Arctic wolves and foxes have coats that turn white in the winter.  Seals and walruses are awkward on land but expert swimmers in the water.  Narwhals and beluga whales live in the Arctic Ocean. Birds like the rock ptarmigan spend the winter in the Arctic. Sandhill cranes migrate to Florida for the winter.

Antarctica Arctic basically means north.  The Greek prefix ant means opposite.  Ant-arctic-a is the opposite of  the Arctic. Antarctica is a rock about the size of Australia.  Only about 2 % of the rock is showing. The rest is always covered in ice.  This permanent ice doubles the size of the outline of Antarctica. On average, the ice is 7000 feet thick—over a mile thick.  Part of the outside edge of Antarctica is along the Antarctic Circle, a line of latitude at 66 ½ ◦ S.

Continent? Country? Antarctica is a continent, a huge mass of land. It is larger than Europe. But Antarctica is not a country; there is no history of human life on the island of Antarctica. Nobody is from there.

The South Pole The southernmost part of the earth is called the South Pole.   On a globe, the South Pole is the point where the lines of longitude meet, at 90◦South latitude.  The South Pole is a permanent place. There is a permanent place-marker there, and a research center.

Island Antarctica is an island surrounded by immense areas of ocean.  The closest land is the southern tip of Argentina, about 800 miles away.  Australia is 4000 miles north. The Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans combine to form the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

Desert A desert is a region that receives less than ten inches of precipitation per year.  The average snowfall in Antarctica is about six inches per year—but the snow never melts.   The snow freezes and becomes part of the ice covering the rock of Antarctica, and it has been piling up for thousands of years.  So Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. There is little participation each year in Antarctica. It is larger than the Sahara Desert. This makes Antarctica the world’s largest desert.

Cold Antarctica is the coldest place on earth.  The lowest temperature ever recorded was in Antarctica: --128◦F.  At the South Pole, the average annual temperature is --70◦F. It is much colder than the Arctic.  Winds rush downhill from the higher elevations. The ice reflects the sunlight, so the sun does not warm the continent.  The island is surrounded by cold ocean, not warmer land. Temperature cools with increased altitude, so the thickness of the ice means colder temperatures.  The sun shines indirectly on Antarctica, so sunlight is weaker.

Science Antarctica is dedicated to scientific research.  Twelve countries created the Antarctic Treaty System in 1959 to protect the continent.  No mining or military activities are allowed. About 4000 people from many different countries are living and working on Antarctica at any time.

Exit Ticket Antarctica is colder than the Arctic. Provide three reasons why Antarctica is so cold. The Arctic is a region and Antarctica is a continent. Explain why? What is the difference? Oil has been discovered in the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole. Which country has the right to claim the oil? What decision be made?