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The Arctic Circle, roughly 67° north of the Equator, defines the boundary of the Arctic waters and lands. The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. [1] Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
Arctic ecology is the scientific study of the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors in the arctic, the region north of the Arctic Circle (66° 33’N). [1] This region is characterized by two biomes: taiga (or boreal forest) and tundra. [2]
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
The word Arctic comes from the Greek word ἀρκτικός (arktikos), "near the Bear, northern" [4] and from the word ἄρκτος (arktos), meaning bear. [5] The name refers either to the constellation known as Ursa Major, the "Great Bear", which is prominent in the northern portion of the celestial sphere, or to the constellation Ursa Minor, the "Little Bear", which contains the celestial ...
The areas of the taiga inside the Arctic Circle have midnight sun in mid-summer and polar night in mid-winter. Precipitation The taiga experiences relatively low precipitation throughout the year (generally 200–750 mm (7.9–29.5 in) annually, 1,000 mm (39 in) in some areas), primarily as rain during the summer months, but also as snow or fog .
The North American Arctic lies above the Arctic Circle. [3] It is part of the Arctic, which is the northernmost region on Earth. The western limit is the Seward Peninsula and the Bering Strait. The southern limit is the Arctic Circle latitude of 66° 33’N, which is the approximate limit of the midnight sun and the polar night. [4]
The Arctic has various definitions, including the region north of the Arctic Circle (currently Epoch 2010 at 66°33'44" N), or just the region north of 60° north latitude, or the region from the North Pole south to the timberline. [1] The Antarctic is usually defined simply as south of 60° south latitude, or the continent of Antarctica.
There are various bird species that have been spotted in the Arctic. Eight species of birds reside on the polar tundra year round while 150 breed in the Arctic. [16] The birds that do breed go to the Arctic between May and July. One of the known birds is the snowy owl, which has enough fat on it to be able to survive in the cold temperatures.