Portal:Arctic
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Arctic -
The Arctic is the region around the Earth's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. The Arctic includes the Arctic Ocean (which overlies the North Pole) and parts of Canada, Greenland (a territory of Denmark), Russia, the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. The word Arctic comes from the Greek word arktos (άρκτος) , which means bear. The name refers to the constellation Ursa Major, the "Great Bear", which dominates the northern region of the celestial sphere.
There are numerous definitions of the Arctic region. The boundary is generally considered to be north of the Arctic Circle (66° 33’N), which is the approximate limit of the midnight sun and the polar night. Other definitions are based on climate and ecology, such as the 10°C (50°F) July isotherm, which roughly corresponds to the tree line in most of the Arctic. Socially and politically, the Arctic region includes the northern territories of the eight Arctic states, including Lapland, although by natural science definitions much of this territory is considered subarctic.
The Arctic region consists of a vast ice-covered ocean (which is sometimes considered to be a northern arm of the Atlantic Ocean) surrounded by treeless, frozen ground. In recent years the extent of the sea ice has declined, and there is some evidence suggesting Arctic water may be ice-free in summer. According to the Norwegian International Polar Year Secretariat and polar scientists, this ice cap may disappear over the summer of 2008. Life in the Arctic includes organisms living in the ice, zooplankton and phytoplankton, fish and marine mammals, birds, land animals, plants, and human societies.
Selected articles -
Arctic Terns are medium-sized birds. They have a length of 33–39 centimetres (13–15 in) and a wingspan of 76–85 centimetres (30–33 in). They are mainly grey and white plumaged, with a red beak (as long as the head, straight, with pronounced gonys) and feet, white forehead, a black nape and crown (streaked white), and white cheeks. The grey mantle is 305 mm, and the scapulars are fringed brown, some tipped white. The upper wing is grey with a white leading edge, and the collar is completely white, as is the rump. The deeply forked tail is whitish, with grey outer webs. The hindcrown to the ear-coverts is black.
Selected biography -
A scientist with a Doctor of Philosophy in plant physiology, Marshall became independently wealthy after the death of his father. He was also a supporter of socialism and civil liberties[1] and held two significant public posts during his life: chief of forestry in the Bureau of Indian Affairs, from 1933 to 1937, and head of recreation management in the Forest Service, from 1937 to 1939. Defining wilderness as a social as well as an environmental ideal, Marshall was the first to suggest a formal, national organization of individuals dedicated to the preservation of primeval land.[2]
In the news -
- April 25: UK announces £200 million polar research ship
- September 4: Wikinews Shorts: September 2, 2010
- September 3: Wikinews Shorts: September 3, 2010/Fuel tanker aground in Northwest Passage
- June 21: Greenland assumes self rule Sunday
- January 10: Canadian trio claim South Pole record for trans-Antarctic trip
- December 10: Wikinews Shorts: December 10, 2008
- October 28: Arctic ice thickness decreasing, suggests satellite data study
- August 28: 73M-year-old fossilized fish found in Canada
- August 27: Canadian military exercise NANOOK 2008 travels through uncharted waters
- June 28: The North Pole may possibly be ice free by summer
Selected picture -
Did you know -
- ... that in 1937 a Soviet station became the first scientific research settlement to operate on the drift ice of the Arctic Ocean? Read More...
- ...that Charles R. Stelck proved that ancient coral reefs had once existed in the Arctic and that oil could be found there? Read More...
- ...that Scandinavia's High North Alliance works to protect the whaling interests of member countries? Read More...
- ...that aboriginal whaling rights are granted to native populations in Greenland, Canada, the United States, Russia and several Caribbean island communities? Read More...
Categories
Quotation -
- There are two kinds of Arctic problems, the imaginary and the real. Of the two, the imaginary are the most real.
Features
Things to do
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