The subarcticzone is a region in the Northern Hemisphereimmediately south of the true Arctic, north of humid continentalregions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive geographical region spanning much of Eurasia and North Asia. Siberia has historically been a part of modern Russia since the 17th century.
Where is the subarctic climate found in the world?
Out of these areas this climate occupies the higher parts of the mountains (for example in the Alps can be found in the areas above 1500m.). Subarctic climate is wide spread also in the high parts of the Andes, Himalayas, Rocky mountains and so on.
What is the vegetation like in a subarctic climate?
Vegetation in regions with subarctic climates is generally of low diversity, as only hardy species can survive the long winters and make use of the short summers. Trees are mostly limited to conifers, as few broadleaved trees are able to survive the very low temperatures in winter.
What is the weather like in the subarctic region of Canada?
Subarctic vegetation in Canada (Larix laricina) Monthly temperatures are above 10 °C (50 °F) for at least one and at most three months of the year. Precipitation tends to be low due to the low moisture content of the cold air.
What is it like to live in the subarctic region?
This means that building in most subarctic regions is very difficult and expensive: cities are very few ( Murmansk being the largest) and generally small, whilst roads are also few. Subarctic rail transport only exists in Europe (lines to Narvik and Murmansk) and the Norilsk – Dudinka line in northern Siberia.
What country is subarctic in?
Subarctic Eurasia covers most of the land mass of Russia and the Nordic countries – Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland – and makes up the northern section of the Palearctic realm with 4 major subrealms as defined in the Bioregions 2020 framework -- Palearctic Tundra, Scandinavia & West Boreal Forests, Siberia & East ...
Does Canada have a subarctic climate?
Canada - Climate. Most of northern Canada has subarctic or arctic climates, with long cold winters lasting 8 to 11 months, short sunny summers, and little precipitation. In contrast, the populated south has a variety of climatological landscapes.
Is Russia a subarctic climate?
Most of Northern European Russia and Siberia between the Scandinavian Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean has a subarctic climate, with extremely severe winters (Dfd, Dwd) in the inner regions of Northeast Siberia (mostly the Sakha Republic, where the Northern Pole of Cold is located with the record low temperature of −69 ...
Is Alaska subarctic?
The climate in Southcentral Alaska is a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) due to its short, cool summers. The climate of the interior of Alaska is best described as extreme and is the best example of a true subarctic climate, as the highest and lowest recorded temperatures in Alaska have both occurred in the interior.
Where is the most common subarctic climate?
The Dfc climate, by far the most common subarctic type, is found in the following areas: View of pines in the Kuysumy mountains in Siberia. Northern Eurasia. The majority of Siberia. The Kamchatka Peninsula and the northern and central parts of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island.
What is the vegetation of subarctic climates?
Vegetation in regions with subarctic climates is generally of low diversity, as only hardy species can survive the long winters and make use of the short summers. Trees are mostly limited to conifers, as few broadleaved trees are able to survive the very low temperatures in winter.
What are the sources of cold air?
Subarctic or boreal climates are the source regions for the cold air that affects temperate latitudes to the south in winter. These climates represent Köppen climate classification Dfc, Dwc, Dsc, Dfd, Dwd and Dsd .
What is the largest forest biome in the world?
Even though the diversity may be low, numbers are high, and the taiga (boreal) forest is the largest forest biome on the planet, with most of the forests located in Russia and Canada.
What is the average temperature of a summer?
This type of climate offers some of the most extreme seasonal temperature variations found on the planet: in winter, temperatures can drop to below −50 °C (−58 °F) and in summer, the temperature may exceed 26 °C (79 °F). However, the summers are short; no more than three months of the year (but at least one month) must have a 24-hour average temperature of at least 10 °C (50 °F) to fall into this category of climate and the coldest month should average below 0 °C (32 °F) (or −3 °C (27 °F)). Record low temperatures can approach −70 °C (−94 °F).
How many months does permafrost occur?
With 5–7 consecutive months where the average temperature is below freezing, all moisture in the soil and subsoil freezes solidly to depths of many feet. Summer warmth is insufficient to thaw more than a few surface feet, so permafrost prevails under most areas not near the southern boundary of this climate zone.
When does precipitation occur in the subarctic?
Away from the coasts, precipitation occurs mostly in the warmer months, while in coastal areas with subarctic climates the heaviest precipitation is usually during the autumn months when the relative warmth of sea vis-à-vis land is greatest.
Where is the subarctic zone?
The sub-Arctic zone or subarctic zone [ discuss] is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Scandinavia, Siberia, the Shetland Islands, and the Cairngorms. Generally, sub-Arctic regions fall between 50°N and 70°N latitude, depending on local climates.
What is the temperature of subarctic vegetation in Canada?
Sub-Arctic vegetation in Canada ( Larix laricina) Sub-Arctic temperatures are above 10 °C (50 °F) for at least one and at most three months of the year. Precipitation tends to be low due to the low moisture content of the cold air. Precipitation is typically greater in warmer months, with a summer maximum ranging from moderate in North America ...
Why is the subarctic so expensive?
Most areas in the subarctic are among the most expensive places in the world to visit, due to both high costs of living and inaccessibility. Nonetheless, the great opportunities for outdoor recreation lure an ever-increasing number of travelers.
What are the threats to the subarctic?
At the same time, the older industries of the subarctic (fishing, mining, hydroelectric power) are being threatened by both environmental opposition and overfishing leading to depleted stocks of commercially important species.
When were subarctic regions discovered?
Except for a few parts of Europe where the winters are relatively mild due to prevailing wind and ocean current patterns, subarctic regions were not explored until the 18th and 19th centuries.
Is building in the subarctic region expensive?
This means that building in most subarctic regions is very difficult and expensive: cities are very few ( Murmansk being the largest) and generally small, whilst roads are also few. Subarctic rail transport only exists in Europe (lines to Narvik and Murmansk) and the Norilsk – Dudinka line in northern Siberia.
Description and Dynamics
In our journey from equator to pole, we have spent the last two chapters looking at the three climates found within the great continents, the cool deserts and the mixed woods and grasslands of the humid continental.
Where in the world do we find the Subarctic climates?
So, where in the world are the subarctic climate zones? In short they dominate the northern hemisphere between 50-70 degrees in latitude.
Landscapes and Vegetation
As mentioned, and obvious from all you have seen in this chapter so far, this climate is virtually synonymous with the boreal forest, or taiga. Patterns in this seemingly homogenous forest do exist, however.
Human Settlement
These factors in combination make the subarctic a forbidding place in regard to human settlement, and so these areas are consequently very sparsely populated, the exceptions being where the location has specific strategic advantage or where rich natural resources are found.
Coursework Questions
What are the main differences between the subarctic climate and the continental climates to the south?
