INTRODUCTION TO THE ARCTIC

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What is the Arctic?Area north of the Arctic CircleArea north of the treelineLocations at high latitudes where the average

daily summer temperature does not get above 10C

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North of the Arctic Circle

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Map from athropolis.com

North of the Treeline

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Average daily summer temperature below 10C (50F)

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Map from NISDC

What lives in the Arctic?

www.pwssc.org Image from alaska101.com

Arctic Flora and FaunaAdaptations for Survival

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BearberryPurple saxifrage

Arctic poppy

Cottongrass

Mountain sorrel

Wooly lousewort

Orange Lichen

Arctic willow

Reindeer lichen

Pasque flower

Images from blueplanetbiome.com & arcticphoto.com

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Tufted puffin

Arctic hare

Arctic foxTundra swan

Polar bear

Beluga whale

Snowy owl

Walrus

Arctic tern

Musk oxen

Caribou and Reindeer

Snow goose

Images from nationalgeographic.com

Lemming

Migration

www.pwssc.org Map from arctic.fws.gov

Physical Characteristics

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Feathered Snowshoes

White Coat

Water-repellent Feathers

Two Layers of Feathers

Broad hoofs

Short, Stocky Body

Heavy Outer Layer

of Hair

Warm Under Layer of

Hair

Images from wildernessclassroom.com & nationalgeographic.com

Hibernation

www.pwssc.org Image from elharo.com

Who Lives in the Arctic?

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Native PeoplesIndigenous People

• Inuit• Iñupiat• Yupik• Chukchi• Nenets• Evenki• Sami

www.pwssc.org Map from arcticcentre.org

Marine Lifestyles

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Images from siberianwonders.com, dsc.discovery.com, grist.org & countercurrents.org

Terrestrial Lifestyles

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Images from siberianwonders.com & transun.wordpress.com

Oil Workers

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Oil in the Arctic

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