To the Greeks, arktos (bear) was the land lying in the direction of the Great Bear or Big Dipper, a prominent constellation of the northern sky. Even today a precise definition of the word Arctic eludes us (Fig. 1). Cartographers, astronomers, and, to some extent, dynamic meteorologists view the Arctic as the area enclosed by the Arctic Circle (66°33′N), north of which the sun does not rise on the winter solstice or set on the summer solstice. Oceanographers define Arctic waters as having a temperature near 0°C and a salinity of approximately 30 parts per thousand. Geologists use the presence of permafrost (perenially frozen ground) to define the Arctic. Climatologists, for the most part, use vegetation cover as an integrator of climate and surface conditions, thus defining Arctic as the area north of the tree line. Köppen (see reference in Wilson, 1967) approximated the tree line by the 10°C isotherm (line of constant temperature) of the warmest month, while others define as tundra...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barry, R. G., and F. K. Hare, 1974. Arctic climate, in Arctic and Alpine Environments, J. D. Ives and R. G. Barry (eds.). London: Methuen, pp. 17–54.
Borisov, A.A., 1965. Climates of the U.S.S.R. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd (Russian edition, Moscow, 1959).
Bryson, R. A., and F. K. Hare (eds.). 1974. Climates of North America, vol. 11. World Survey of Climatology, Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Keen, R.A., 1980. Temperature and Circulation Anomalies in the Eastern Canadian Arctic Summer 1946–76, Occas. Paper No. 34., Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.
Lydolph, P. E., 1977. Climates of the Soviet Union, vol. 7, World Survey of Climatology, Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Maxwell, J. B., 1982. The Climate of the Canadian Arctic Islands and Adjacent Waters, vol. 2, Climatological Studies No. 30. Environment Canada.
Orvig, S. (ed.), 1970. Climate of the Polar Regions, vol. 14, World Survey of Climatology. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Rodgers, J. C., 1978. Meteorological factors affecting interannual variability of summer-time ice extent in the Beaufort Sea, Monthly Weather Rev. 106, 890–897.
Sater, J. E. (ed.), 1969. The Arctic Basin. Washington, D.C.: The Arctic Institute of North America.
Wilson, C. V., 1967. Climatology: Introduction. Northern Hemisphere I, Cold Regions Science and Engineering Monogr. 1-A3. Hanover, N.H.: U.S. Army, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.
Cross-references
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1987 Van Nostrand Reinhold
About this entry
Cite this entry
Alt, B.T. (1987). Arctic climates . In: Climatology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30749-4_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30749-4_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-87933-009-5
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-30749-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive