Research Paper On The Arctic Ocean

Arctic tundra can be found circling the North Pole and reaching far enough south to reach the coniferous forests of the taiga. The arctic tundra is most known for its cold, dessert-like conditions. It experiences

The Arctic Sea Ice is melting or slowly disappearing and it is said to be one of the reasons of global warming. What is happens is that the Arctic Ice it melts a little and gets smaller during the summer season and than during the winter season the ice gets bigger and expands over the Arctic Ocean, “a freeze-thaw cycle that in the Arctic has been dramatically altered by global warming (Global Warming Effects).” The Arctic Sea Ice in the past could grow up to 3 meters, which is around 10 feet, but now the average thick ness is becoming much less, and some scientist are afraid that in a few decades there might not be any sea ice during the summer (Global Warming Effects). Another major thing that has been discovered is that the amount of ice

Scientists split these ice area into four sea ice ecoregions: Seasonal Ice, Polar Basin Divergent Ice, Polar Basin Convergent Ice, and Archipelago Ice (Amstrup, S.C., Marcot, B. G., & Douglas, David C., 2008). Seasonal Ice occurs in the southern part of the polar bear's range. Areas include Canada's Hudson Bay, where the ice melts each summer and the bears must wait for the ice to refreeze in the fall until they can hunt again. In Polar Basin Divergent Ice areas, sea ice forms along the shore but then retreats, especially in summer. Polar Basin Convergent Ice is ice formed in other parts of the Arctic that collect along the shore of these habitats, providing polar bears with access to seals. Archipelago Ice is located in northern lands like the islands in the Canadian High Arctic and Greenland. Even in summer, sea ice remains along the coast providing hunting grounds for the

The arctic Tundra is normally around 10 to 29 degrees fahrenheit. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 6 to 10 inches. Soil is formed slowly. The biggest threat to the Tundra is global warming. Many scientists believe global warming caused by greenhouse gases may eliminate Arctic regions, including the tundras there, forever. Another concern is that about one third of the worlds soil-bound carbon is in the tundra permafrost. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions by switching to alternative energy uses is key to protecting Earth's tundra habitats. The Tundra is located at the top of the earth by the North Pole. Switch to alternative energy

The inuit have to understand the natural patterns of Arctic wildlife because of global warming. Global warming is causing problems because the number

Humans have been interacting with the Arctic tundra for centuries now. They have used the land to explore and race, for example, the infamous race between Admunsen and Scott to the South pole. However, the human civilisation on the Arctic tundra have had their implications, both severe and light. Humans have slaughtered whales and seals since very early days, for food as well as commercial and self-profiting purposes. The most recent and paramount problem is global warming and pollution, which is harming the Arctic Tundra far more than the sealing and whaling ever did.

You will find Arctic Alaska on the North side of Alaska, it reaches from the border of Canada to the Chukchi Sea. The Arctic ocean makes the region's northern edge, not as many people live in Arctic Alaska. During winter time Arctic Alaska is a very dark place if in barrow the sun will set on November 18th and will not rise again until January 24th. In the middle of these winter months the temperatures can fall all the way to- 50º F in higher latitudes. This can be the lightest and darkest region in all of Alaska. During the summer time their is 24 hours of sunlight a day can melt seas and topsoil, and is the main cause of icebergs breaking The land was earlier inhabited by Alaskan Natives who thrived off of hunting, whaling, and salmon fishing

The Tundra is an extremely cold climate. During the winter months the average temperature is -34 degrees Celsius. The Arctic tundra is located in north Russia. Its coordinates are anywhere between 60 to 80 degrees North latitude and 70 to 180 degrees east longitude. The average precipitation including melting snow is 6 to 10 inches. The arctic tundra has a cold and dry climate but underneath the top layer of soil is a solid layer of subsoil called permafrost which never thaws.

As important as it is, Arctic coastal sea ice plays a vital role in dynamics of the coastline, covers stretches of open water which serve as important biological habitats, and serves as a platform for a broad range of activities by residents and industries (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Sea ice is also important because it is used as a platform for harvesting seals and whales in spring, transport of personnel and supplies to camps, and as a network of trails (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Dangerous effects of climate change include “ice breakouts” which are when large chunks of ice that whalers are using as working areas break off of the main ice blocks and take whaling camps out to sea (Druckenmiller et al.,

Have you ever wanted to spend months in temperatures that regularly are -30°? Many people cannot stand cold temperatures such as 32° even just for the couple minutes it takes while they are walking from their car to the store. In the story “Extreme Research Shows How Arctic Ice Is Dwindling” by Andy Isaacson he discusses how the arctic ice is dwindling, what will happen as a result of that and then finally about his trip where he was able to observe it all firsthand. The sea of ice is unlike how most people would imagine it to be as depicted on maps, instead it is not all connected but rather it is many different pieces all just floating near one another.

In recent months, scientists have been taking notice to record cool temperatures observed in the North Atlantic Ocean, while the rest of the world is experiencing record warmth. They believe this cooling of the water to be due to the accelerated melting of the Greenland ice

The increasing global temperatures have caused many problems in Arctic ecosystems. The increasing warmth has caused ice caps to melt, and permafrost to thaw, causing shifts in the ecosystems around them. 1According to Harris (2005) “Permafrost is soil, rock or sediment that is frozen for more than two consecutive years. In areas not overlain by ice, it exists beneath a layer of soil, rock or sediment, which freezes and thaws annually and is called the "active layer".” (p. 17). While the melting of ice may not seem like a big issue at first glance, its effects are truly catastrophic. Many professionals in this field, such as Houghton (2009) have said 2“Warming is expected to be strongest in the Arctic, with the continuing retreat of

As well as being an area where nutrients are recycled and released into the water, the Polar Front region in the North Atlantic plays a fundamental role in the driving of ocean currents. At the front near the Greenland, Iceland and Norwegian (GIN) seas and the Labrador Sea, warm salty water from the North Atlantic is cooled by Arctic waters and by intense heat loss to the atmosphere; it becomes denser and sinks to deeper layers of the ocean. Salt rejected as sea ice forms also increases the density and contributes to the process. Although a slow process, this sinking takes place over a wide area and each winter several million cubic kilometers of water sink and begin moving slowly south along the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It is known as thermohaline circulation because it is driven in part by temperature and partly by salinity differences.

It contains an expanse of tundra with many marshes and lagoons with rivers situated between foothills of the Brooks Range and the wide, icy waters of the Beaufort Sea. Environmentalists said that this area “is the most biologically productive part of the Arctic Refuge for wildlife and is the center if wildlife activity.” The importance of these resources is not measurable. The Arctic is home to such animals as caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, musk oxen, whales, wolves and snow geese. This area is full of wildflowers and contains water of excellent, unpolluted quality and quantity. The Arctic Ocean costal plain is an area critical to the survival of many birds and mammals (‘Alaska Wild’).

The Arctic is global warming’s canary in the coal mine. It is a highly sensitive area which is profoundly affected by the changing climate. The average temperature in the Arctic is rising twice as fast as elsewhere in the world (nrdc.org). Because of this, the ice cap is getting thinner, melting away, and rupturing. Here is an example of this; the largest ice block in the Arctic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, had been around for 3000 years before it started cracking in 2000 (nrdc.org) By 2002, the Ward Hunt has cracked completely through and had started breaking into smaller pieces. The melting ice caps are affecting the earth and its inhabitants in many ways. In this paper, the following concepts and subjects will be