Climate of the Arctic

The climate of the Arctic is characterized by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. There is a large amount of variability in climate across the Arctic, but all regions experience extremes of solar radiation in both summer and winter. Some parts of the Arctic are covered by ice (sea ice, glacial ice, or snow) year-round, and nearly all parts of the Arctic experience long periods with some form of ice on the surface.

The Arctic consists of ocean that is largely surrounded by land. As such, the climate of much of the Arctic is moderated by the ocean water, which can never have a temperature below −2 °C (28 °F). In winter, this relatively warm water, even though covered by the polar ice pack, keeps the North Pole from being the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere, and it is also part of the reason that Antarctica is so much colder than the Arctic. In summer, the presence of the nearby water keeps coastal areas from warming as much as they might otherwise.

Overview of the Arctic

There are different definitions of the Arctic. The most widely used definition, the area north of the Arctic Circle, where the sun does not set on the June solstice, is used in astronomical and some geographical contexts. However the two most widely used definitions in the context of climate are the area north of the northern tree line, and the area in which the average summer temperature is less than 10 °C (50 °F), which are nearly coincident over most land areas.