The Arctic is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. Land within the Arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover, with predominantly treeless permafrost-containing tundra. Arctic seas contain seasonal sea ice in many places.
There are a number of definitions of what area is contained within the Arctic.
The area can be defined as north of the Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is a parallel or line of latitude at approximately 66°33’ N that marks the border of the Arctic, the northernmost region of Earth. The geographic point at the centre of Arctic Circle is the North Pole.
As seen from the Arctic Circle, the Sun is above the horizon for most of the day in summer and below the horizon in winter. The sun does not set at midsummer (also known as the summer solstice), on 20 or 21 June. Conversely, the sun does not rise at midwinter (also known as the winter solstice), on 21 or 22 December. The midwinter sun can still be seen at places slightly north of the Arctic Circle when it is just below the horizon, since light rays are bent by the Earth’s atmosphere.
The position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed. Its latitude depends on the Earth's axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of 2° over a 40,000-year period, due to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon. Consequently, the Arctic Circle is currently drifting northwards at a speed of about 15 metres (49 feet) per year.
Arctic is the region where the average temperature for the warmest month (July) is below 10 °C
In these low temperatures, most of the ground is covered with permafrost.
Permafrost is ground, including rock or soil, at or below the freezing point of water 0°C for two or more years. It seems simple, but there are different forms of permafrost based on the percentage of ground which is continuously frozen (continuous, discontinuous, sporadic, alpine, subsea).
Permafrost processes manifest themselves in large-scale land forms, such as palsas and pingos and smaller-scale phenomena, such as patterned ground found in arctic regions.
Arctic permafrost has been diminishing for many centuries. The consequence is thawing soil, which may be weaker, and the release of methane, which contributes to an increased rate of global warming as part of a feedback loop. You can see examples of permafrost erosion along the Dempster Highway, when the surface of permafrost gets exposed to higher temperatures.
Constructing roads in the north is complicated. The thick blanket of rock and gravel that makes up the roadbed is designed to prevent the underlying ice-rich permafrost from warming, thus keeping it in its more stable, frozen state.
Logging Requirements:
Questions to answer (the answers may be found on the interpretive panels at the site):
1) What percentage of earth and what percentage of Canada is covered by permafrost?
2) By what century do scientists predict widespread permafrost melting?
3) What percentage of the earth is covered by the Arctic Circle, and how much of this is water?
4) Which country has the largest population living above the Arctic Circle?
5) What prevents the Arctic winters from being colder than they already are?
6) What did the builders of the Dempster Highway do to prevent melting of permafrost?
7) Take a picture of yourself with your GPS at the Arctic Circle sign (optional)