Welcome to the Arctic!

Let’s take a look around!

A frozen ice-laden ocean surrounded by land. This is a land of extremes. Of endless sun or perpetual polar darkness. Canada, Finland, Russia, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Greenland and the US all touch the Arctic. Greenland is the largest island in the world and covered by towering glaciers.

It’s a chilly place to live as temperatures can plummet to -60C. Yet you may be surprised to find that in the summer it can reach a rather balmy +30C. Not so good for the sea ice. You’d also be surprised at the abundance of wildlife that make their home here. From magnificent polar bears to the long tusked unicorns of the sea, the narwhals.

You would be forgiven for thinking that this was just a land of snow and ice. But the habitats in the Arctic can include large areas of green tundra and lush forests, with high mountains. The Arctic ocean has sea-ice year round. March has the highest density and by September, large quantities have melted.

5 cool facts

1. What a load of poo

There is a lot of bird mess in the Arctic. This poop releases gases which contribute to cloud cover. And this then reduces the temperature of the surrounding air!

2. Sealed in seed

In Svalbard, Norway, there is a global seed vault which has over 4,000 plant species. Many of them are life sustaining food crops. These are kept safe in case of any man-made or natural disasters.

3. You’d better bear-lieve it

The word ‘Arctic’ comes from the Greek word Arktos which means bear. This is because you can see both Ursa Minor and Ursa Major (bear) star constellations.

4. 4 million people live in the Arctic

Despite the chilly temperatures many people live in the Arctic including the indigenous Inuit. They have over 100 different words to describe snow!

5. Midnight sun

It’s a case of extremes in the Arctic. You’ve either got 125 days of the sun not setting or 2 months of polar night where the sun doesn’t rise!

5 of the more unusual Arctic residents

1. What a little weasel

Ermine are small weasels that love the cold of the Arctic. They move in zigzags and can travel 9 miles in a night to find food.

2. How fabulous are these horns?!

You can tell the age of Arctic Dall sheep by counting the rings on their horns!

3. Meet a record breaker!

The Arctic tern has the longest migration of any animal. Each year they do a round trip from the Arctic to Antarctica. That’s 44,000 miles!

4. This chap is rather a-moosing

Moose means eater of twigs which is one of their favourite foods.

5. Eye eye

The Greenland shark is one of the largest sharks in the world. Their eyes glow in the dark which attracts prey.

Some people think the Arctic and Antarctica are the same.

But in fact they are polar opposites...!

What issues face the Arctic?

Melting ice

The Arctic is vital to keep our climate in perfect balance. These huge expanses of sea ice act like a reflector to send the sun’s rays away from Earth rather than into the depths of the ocean. This helps keep our planet at a pleasant temperature.

Sadly we’re not far away from a summer with no Arctic ice. Scientists think that summer sea ice could disappear as early as 2035. The Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as anywhere else on the planet.

As well as the detrimental effect this will have on climate change it also impacts locals and wildlife. Villages on the coast of the Arctic are at risk from rising sea levels. For wildlife, the entire ecosystem is changing. Polar bears have less ice to hunt from and changes to timing and extent of ice impact the breeding and feeding behaviour of narwhals.

Noise in the Arctic

These snowy and icy landscapes may look peaceful and quiet but the reality is something else! The crack of breaking ice, the birds squawking and walrus’ bellowing. However the real problem comes from man made noise.

The melting ice has meant more ships can pass through the Arctic sea, for fishing and carrying tourists. Add to that drilling for oil and gas and you’ve got a very noisy ocean. Sound travels fast and far in water, more so than air. The impact on marine life can be highly detrimental. Mass beaching of whales have been recorded after naval sonar operations which may be the pod trying to flee the noise. We’ve written a poem called What’s that noise? have a read!

Positive News

Chubby polar bearsChubby polar bears

Due to a combination of science and Inuit knowledge, polar bear numbers in a couple of subpopulations have increased. And they are now fatter than the late 1990s!

Drill offDrill off

The Trump administration approved the construction of an artificial drilling island in the Arctic Ocean. This has been blocked by the courts and will help fight similar cases in the future.

Glass half fullGlass half full

Arctic Project Ice has developed a promising solution which would deploy a thin layer of small hollow glass microspheres across young summer ice. This could reduce peak climate risks by buying up to 15 more years to decarbonise.

What can you do to help?

1. Reduce your carbon footprint

Use a tool like Pawprint which allows you to fight climate change at work and home. We also have a great Carbon Footprint quiz your children can try out!

2. Build back green

Take a look at your energy supplier and pick one that focuses on renewable energy.

3. Support a charity

Consider supporting a charity like Ocean Conservancy who are working hard to protect the Arctic.

Positive impacts with Earth Cubs

1. FREE APP! Play our app and teach your kids to love our amazing planet. Meet Nigel the Nervous Narwhal and his friends in the Arctic
2. TEACHING RESOURCES! Extensive curriculum linked resources supporting teachers and schools to bring sustainability into the classroom