The Arctic and Subarctic / tundra and taiga

In recent decades, we have begun to play down the importance of a clear delineation between the Arctic and the Subarctic. The mere presence or absence of trees is often of little significance in understanding the nature of a particular area or ecosystem. It is particularly important to be aware that there are treeless “tundra” areas in the higher mountains far to the south of the “true” Arctic. These alpine regions often have a great deal to tell us about the history of the Arctic environment. It is also important to be aware that many coastal treeless areas are very different from the regions more traditionally considered to be Arctic tundra. The Faeroe Islands and the central Aleutian Islands lie hundred of kilometres south of the Arctic ice pack, and winter temperatures drop only slightly below freezing.

This brings us to a concern with efforts to delineate and subdivide the marine Arctic and Subarctic regions. Such definitions as there are involve oceanographic concerns such as the boundaries of water masses, the presence and duration of sea icecover (see Figure 10), and the nature of ocean currents. Most Arctic marine scientists would consider most of the Arctic Ocean to be truly Arctic. The major exception would be in the Norwegian and Barents Sea region, where warm water from the tropical Atlantic penetrates deeply northward as the North Atlantic Drift. This also demonstrates the relationship between maritime and terrestrial conditions. The far northern part of Scandinavia has many aspects of a temperate region because of the climatic effects of this powerful ocean current. Conversely, the coast of eastern Canada and even New England in the United States is beset with pack iceeach year, and the cold waters associated with the Labrador Current support many Arctic marine species far to the south of their usual range.

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