Did you know that around 20,000 years ago Arctic is 6 °C colder than present.
The Arctic circle starts approximately 66° 30' latitude, and the North Pole is exactly 90°. The Arctic is slightly warmer than Antarctica, with average temperature of -12 °C to -6 °. It's a unique biome with extreme climates and distinctive ecosystems that have adapted to its harsh environment.
Here are some interesting facts about Arctic!
The Arctic is home to unique wildlife such as polar bears, Arctic foxes, Caribou, Narwhal (Sea unicorn), and various migratory birds such as Arctic tern. These animals have adapted to the harsh conditions of the polar environment.
Strong wind and snowstorms often occur in this region, especially in the winter. Its temperatures can plunge below -45°C (-50°F), and the lowest temperature ever recorded in Arctic is -69.6 °C (-93 °F) located in Klinck AWS, Greenland.
Most of the Arctic landscape is covered by permafrost (soil that remains frozen all year round). It holds many ancient organic materials, including the discovery of the baby Mammoth that was still frozen until this time. Thawing permafrost can release trapped ancient viruses and greenhouse gases that can affect global climate.
Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are captivating natural light displays caused by charged solar particles colliding with Earth's magnetic field and atmospheric gases. They Produce colorful lights, mainly green and red from oxygen and purple, pink and blue from nitrogen. The auroras are most visible near the magnetic poles in winter months and are influenced by solar activity such as solar flares. They appear in various dynamic forms like arcs, band, and curtains and have been integral to both scientific studies of space weather and cultural folklore in various societies.
Different form the South Pole, where mostly consists of landmass. The North pole or Arctic is consists mostly of ocean with the average depth range from 4,000 feet to 18,000, covered by floating sea ice. The ice is constantly changing due to seasonal shifts, and the ice is gradually shrinking due to climate change, causing more ice to melt in the summer.
The Arctic Ocean plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The cold, dense water that forms in the Arctic sinks and helps drive the global thermohaline circulation, a major component of Earth's climate system.
It's important to note that the geographic North Pole (the point where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects the surface) is different from the magnetic North Pole, which is the point that the Earth's magnetic field points towards. The magnetic North Pole is currently located in the Arctic Ocean, but it shifts over time due to changes in the Earth's magnetic field.
The large canyon inside the Greenland glaciers is known as the Greenland Ice Sheet's subglacial canyon. This canyon, discovered in recent years through radar surveys and other scientific techniques, lies beneath the ice sheet and is part of a complex network of rivers and valleys carved by ancient glacial and river activity. The canyon is estimated to be about 750 kilometers (466 miles) long, up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) deep, and 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide. It is significant because it influences the ice sheet's dynamics, affecting how ice flows and contributes to our understanding of past and present ice sheet behavior.
During midwinter there is no Sun at all, experience the phenomenon of continuous darkness or polar night for days or months (depends on where you are). This also happen in midsummer where it's day for almost the whole day.
The Arctic is home to a range of unique plant species adapted to its harsh and cold environment, some of them are Arctic Willow, Arctic moss, Reindeer Lichen, and Mountain Avens.
.jpg)
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest ocean in the world, with the average depth of about 1,000 metres (3,280 feet), and is also unique because it's almost completely surrounded by land, making it more like a giant icy lake.
The Arctic is believed to hold high amount of world's undiscovered oil, natural gas, and rich in minerals such as diamond, gold, and nickel. This has led to increased interest and geopolitical competition in the region.
During the Pleistocene Ice Age (2.58 ma - 11.700 years ago) glaciers covered about 8% of Earth surface and sea level about 400 feet lower than today. The thickness of the Arctic ice can exceed 3 km that time, and present ice thickness is only about 2 to 5 meters on average.
Some of the ice in the Arctic is more than 100,000 years old and is found primarily in Greenland Ice Sheet. This ancient ice holds valuable climatic records, which scientists use to study historical climates, atmospheric condition, and predict future changes.
The Arctic is home to fascinating glacial landscapes, including frozen sea, fjords, ice-covered mountains and blue icebergs. These landscapes are shaped by glacial movements and are constantly evolving due to ice flow and melting. There are various forms of ice in this polar region, such as sea ice, glacial ice, icebergs, pancake ice, and more. Each type of ice has different properties and impacts the Arctic environment and ecosystem in unique ways.
Due to human activities that causes climate change, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the global average rate, a phenomenon known as polar amplification. The highest temperature ever recorded in Arctic region was in Verkhoyansk, Russia, it reached about 38 °C (100 °F) in 2020. This has drastic implications for global weather patterns, sea levels, and ecosystems far beyond the Arctic.
When sea ice forms, it doesn't incorporate the salt in the sea water. Instead the salt expelled from the ice into the surrounding water, increasing the salinity of the surrounding ocean water.
Paleontologists have discovered fossils of dinosaurs like Nanuqsaurus, a unique species that adapted to polar climates millions of years ago.
Some Arctic icebergs can rise over 200 feet (60 meters) above water, with 90% of their mass hidden below the ocean.
Pinterest
Youtube