Arctic Cordillera By: John Li and Raymond Hao

Map of Arctic Cordillera Oil Mines – Produces oil and gas and some hydroelectricity Very cold in the north of this region Due to the lack of pollution and the fact that there are no cars due to weather, this area has very clean air The weather is much warmer in the south, which allow some plants to grow There are many ice caps and mountain peaks in this region

Physical Characteristics Landform Soaring peaks and desolate valleys (lifeless and inhabited) Ice caps with glaciers and covered with Precambrian rock and valley glaciers (glaciers originating from top of mountains) A high peak for many mountains in this area, the highest at 2000 m Sedimentary rocks and glacier erratics (rock that is not part of this area dropped off by glaciers) also cover much of the region Ice fields and nunataks (isolated piece of rock on mountains) are common

Physical Characteristics Vegetation Few plants can grow in such harsh conditions ¾ of the land is bare rock Plants that do grow are covered in insulating mats Low amounts of precipitation and sudden freezes also do not help plants thrive

Physical Characteristics Climate Cool and short summers that can range from -2°C - 6°C Long, cold winters of an average temperature of about -35°C Up in the north, the precipitation is about 200 mm, while in Labrador, it can range up to 600 mm Harsh winters in the north, more humid in the south

Physical Characteristics Soil Significant lack of soil materials Rocks and ice cover much of the ground Glaciers freeze soil deep into the ground No minerals in soil due to permafrost Slow soil formation and the remaining is sucked away by ice

Human Activities The main human activities of the arctic cordillera are hunting, fishing and trapping Due to the cold weather of this area (winter is -35 degrees and summer is about -2 degrees), it is impossible for agriculture (farming and cultivation of crops to provide food and other products) and crops to grow Hunting can take away an abundance of animals in the food chain which affects the prey and predators of that animal Fishing can remove an abundance of fish causing some types of fishes to become extinct and less biodiversity

Human Activities Continued A positive impact is the fact that in the arctic, there are no car uses or trains This does not create added pollution in the environment like Toronto would Oil and gas production is surprisingly high in this region with only 1000 people, mainly Inuit people (a member of a indigneous people) that live here Tourism is also very common

Positive, Negative Effects Positive Since this area is so sparsely populated, the Inuit people who live there have to depend on themselves to survive This gives the inhabitants a high sense of independence and self- esteem This also preserves their lifestyle and traditions as there are no one other than the Inuits that live in this region Negative Since 75% of the Arctic Cordillera is covered by permafrost and rock, it is very hard for plants to grow The temperature is also very cold (up to 5°C in July) and there is limited moisture in this area Soil is non-existent since the temperature is so cold

Interesting Facts Eureka, Canada has an average temperature of -19.7°C and the average temperature in February is -38°C After being pressed down by the glaciers in the last ice age, the landscape is rising at an approximate speed of 30cm/century Animals such as the Polar Bear and Narwhal Whale can survive the harsh temperatures of this ecozone There are three National Parks: Quttinirpaaq (Inuktitut for “Top of the World”), Sirmilik meaning “Place of Glaciers”, and Auyuittuq meaning “The Land that Never Melts”

Geographic Issue Due to the terrible weather and living conditions up the north, there are few living residents However, over the last couple of years and generations, the weather has become warmer Global warming Glaciers are melting in the arctic Ice splits apart, strands animals

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Credits Thank you for listening to our presentation By: John Li and Raymond Hao