The Arctic Climate
Did you know that the Arctic is a desert? This is because it hardly ever rains,
and there is very little snow that actually falls from the sky. Temperatures
at the Arctic are well below zero degrees for most of the year and there are
fierce, freezing winds that blow across the lands.
The Arctic Seasons
40°C
Summer in the UK
10°C
Summer in the Arctic
0°C
Winter in the UK
30°C
20°C
-10°C
-20°C
-30°C
-40°C
-50°C
Winter in the Arctic
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12 | FUSE
In Spring, the sun shines for at least some of the
day from around March to June. The sun shining
melts ice and snow covering the surface of the
land, however it does not melt a layer of soil that is
permanently frozen under the surface, called the
permafrost.
Summer arrives in June, and there is a period when
the sun never sets, as it is never low enough in the
sky – this is why the Arctic is often referred to as ‘The
Land of the Midnight Sun’. In this time the mosses,
grasses and low bushes grow on the tundra. This
means that there is food for animals to eat.
In Autumn, temperatures begin to fall again, and
many animals leave the Arctic for warmer lands and
seas. This is called migration. A freeze-up begins and
the sea ices over.
In early Winter, the ice has frozen to 3 metres deep.
The sun’s rays are so low that they hardly even
rise above the horizon, meaning that it is almost
permanently dark. Few animals stay and live in the
Arctic in this dark, freezing Winter which lasts from
the end of October through to the end of February.
Plant Life
in the Arctic
There are approximately 1,700
species of plants that live on the
Arctic Tundra, including different
types of mosses, grass, algae and
lichens.
The Arctic Willow
The arctic willow is a dwarf shrub that rarely grows
taller than 15-20cm in height. It is eaten by the
caribou (reindeer), musk oxen and arctic hares.
They creep along the ground and have long trailing
branches that form roots where they touch the soil.
This helps them to survive the wind. Its shoots and
leaves contain more Vitamin C than an orange! To
protect itself against the cold weather, the arctic
willow grows shallow roots and long fuzzy hairs.
It is amazing that any plant ́