34
The smallesT of The WoRlD’s
oceans, the arctic centers on the North Pole.
Between the months of December and may,
most of the arctic ocean is covered by polar
sea ice, up to 98 ft (30 m) thick. The ocean
is surrounded by the arctic regions, where
much of the ground is permanently frozen
to depths of 1,500–2,000 ft (460–600 m).
During the long, cold winters in the far
north, much of the land is subject to periods
of 24-hour darkness. This is because of the
low angle of the sun in relation to the
ground. Beneath the rocks of the arctic
regions lie rich reserves of iron, nickel,
copper, zinc, and oil. severe weather
conditions have made it hard to exploit these
resources. But global warming is thinning the
sea ice and opening up new areas of land.
arctic countries now want to claim areas of
the seabed.IceBReakINg
although half of the arctic ocean
is covered by ice in the winter,
special ships called icebreakers can
still sail through the ice. During
particularly harsh winters, ice can
become so dense in harbors and
ports that it freezes right down to
the seabed, marooning ships for
months at a time. Icebreakers are
designed to crush the ice with
their steel hulls, opening up a lane
that other ships can pass through.
The Russian nuclear-powered
“a rktika” ships are the world’s
largest, most powerful icebreakers.Arctic 34-
The arctic is one of the world’s most sparsely populated regions. Today, some 115,000
Inuit (eskimo) people live in greenland, alaska, and canada. over the past 3,000 years,
they have adapted to their icebound conditions, hunting with kayaks and harpoons, and
existing on a diet of caribou, seal, whale meat, and fish. They lived in houses made of
frozen snow (igloos) or semi-underground stone pit-houses. Today, snowmobiles
(above) have replaced sleds, and rifles are used for hunting.PolaR BeaRs
Between 20,000 and 25,000 polar bears roam the
arctic. Their white coats provide perfect camouflage,
and a 4-in (10-cm) layer of body fat keeps them warm.
Bears gorge on seals from april to July—they can
survive for eight months without food, and are asleep
for several of these months. They can swim as far as
93 miles (150 km) in search of prey.coal mININg
The Norwegian island of spitsbergen, in the arctic ocean, has very extensive coal deposits.
Its coal-mining towns are isolated and are desolate places. The sea route to
mainland Norway, some 620 miles (1,000 km) away, is frozen for four
months of the year. many Inuit have moved to towns such as these
to work in the coal mines.arctic
Teams of hardy husky dogs were
traditionally used to pull sleds across
the frozen ground.The arctic ocean centers on the
North Pole, the northern extremity
of earth’s axis. Three of the world’s
largest rivers, the ob, Yenisey, and
lena, flow into the cold waters
of the arctic ocean. The arctic
regions consist of alaska, canada,
greenland, and northern siberia.glaciers and ice caps
Inuits
oceans and seas
ocean wildlife
Polar wildlifeFind out more
US_034_ARCTIC_1.indd 34 20/01/16 4:32 pm