POLAR OCEANS DESERT TROPICAL FOREST

What is the polar natural region? The polar region is the largest desert in the world. Only instead of sand it is snow and ice. The poles are in the north and south parts of the world. It is in Alaska, Canada, Antarctica, the Arctic and more places.

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The pole's climate is characterized by cold winters and cool summers. Precipitation mostly comes in the form of snow. The precipitation is low. High winds often stir up snow, creating the illusion of continuous snowfall. The polar region is affected by current global warming. global warming The sun shines only from March to September

In the polar region, plants have to be very sturdy. The soil is only a few centimeters deep, but it is spread out far and wide. You won’t see any bare soil there because it is generally covered with snow or plant life. The polar region does not have many plants. It has some lichens, flowers, grass, shrubs and moss. Lichen is a plant that grows on the surface of rocks. (It is part of the moss family, and is a mix of fungi and alge.) There are many types of lichen. In the fall it changes color. This plant is a favorite of musk oxen and caribou. Another plant found in the arctic is the cloud berry. It is a flower with five white pedals and one berry per stalk. The fruit on it is red when not ripe, when it is ripe it is soft and orange. PLANTS

ANIMALS: GRAY WOLVES These wolves, travel in packs. They work together to take down large pray for food such as: moose, caribou, deer and wild horses. Gray wolves live along northern forests of Alaska, Minnesota and North Dakota, and most of Canada.

POLAR BEARS Polar bears are large white bears that live in cold climates. Unfotunatley there are only 22,000-27,000 left. About 15,000 live in Canada. Polar bears mainly eat seals and walrus pups. When it is dry and they are stuck on land they will eat rodents, bird eggs, berries and most anything that is edible.

Puffins In the summer the horned puffin has a black back and neck with white on the sides of the head and breast. In Eskimo language they are called katukh-puk meaning "big white breast." They also have a small, fleshy, dark "horn" over each eye in the summer. The tufted puffin has tufts of feathers that curl back from each side of the head. They have black bodies with a white face. They have orange feet and their bills are red and yellow Two kinds of puffins are the horned puffin and the tufted puffin.

Sporting an elegant sail-like dorsal fin, Arctic grayling are cousins of the trout. During the short summer season, they feast on huge numbers of drifting aquatic insects

Bright green, with red spots and a flaming red belly; the Dolly Varden gets attention. Formerly grouped with Arctic char on Alaska's North Slope, the Dolly Varden is a renowned sport fish on rivers and lagoons of the Arctic Refuge.

It is not a game fish, has an obscure name, can't easily be seen, and has no great claim to fame. Yet the Arctic cisco plays a big role in the arctic. It is a critical link in the marine food chain, provides food for local residents, and brings money to commercial fishermen.

POPULATION: It's Getting Crowded Up Here! There are now approximately 4 million people living permanently in the Arctic, with the vast majority of them having come to the area as populations expanded elsewhere, access and communications were improved, and natural resources were exploited.Arcticnatural resources Discoveries of oil, minerals, and diamonds in the North, and a growing interest in Arctic tourism and ecotourism, are bringing many non-indigenous people to the Arctic to both visit and live.oildiamonds tourismecotourism Indigenous populations now range from about 80% in Greenland, 50% in Canada, 20% in Alaska, 15% in Arctic Norway and as little as 3- 4% in Arctic Russia.populationsGreenlandCanada AlaskaNorwayRussia In contrast, Antarctica has no indigenous populations. The permanent human population of the Arctic - about 4,000,000. The Antarctic – 0. The main indigenous group are the inuits.Antarctica

GLOBAL WARMING…..SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT IT Let´s go to and read about how global warming is affecting the arctic region. Then write and draw in your notebook a nice sign, inviting to your friends to do something about this situation.