Polar Climates

Polar Climates

1. Polar climates located poles (high latitudes ) of the Earth. Polar regions lie within the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle.

2. area lies within the 10°C isotherm , meaning on the hottest months (Northern Hemisphere - July; Southern Hemisphere - January) the average temperature stays below 10°C.

3. According to Koppen Classification, polar climates can be divided into tundra climates (ET) and ice cap climates (EF)

4. Characteristics of Polar Climates:

   • Consistently below freezing temperatures
   • Very little precipitation, majority of precipitation is snow
   • Few plants and animals can thrive due to undernourished, frozen soils and harsh climate

5. How climate affects the population:

   • polar climates extremely cold and dry , the amount of people that can be supported is low. Human activities limited by the polar climate, consequently dictates population numbers.
   • Population numbers very low within polar regions due to harsh conditions, difficult to obtain food, build, or develop a large-scale society. Antarctica is so cold and barren that there are no native residents; only scientific researchers live there (does not the tens of thousands). Around 4 mill people live in Arctic regions , few indigenous residents due to development being so limited in the past (few means of surviving in the cold)
   • difficult to build buildings and infrastructure due to frozen ground ( permafrost ). surface easily crack , is hard to build into, can melt when temperatures fluctuate, leaving developments unstable. Populations had to adapt when developing their communities, such as building their houses on stilts to avoid the frost, or building on large slabs of concrete .
   • General day-to-day life severely affected by living in cold environment. Clothing must be suitable, and occupations are limited and often seasonal (oil, gas and coal work, tourism, fishing etc.).
   • Agricultural productivity is low due to poor soil and harsh climate, especially arable crops. Therefore, food mainly comes from meat and fish rather than crops. This type of agricultural system usually subsistence , with the intention of feeding the population rather than selling yields for profit.
   • Global warming causing areas of permafrost to decrease and temperatures to rise=arable land in polar climates (or at least subpolar climates) is increasing. Human activities are therefore changing in these areas, arable farming becoming more attainable source of food in some regions.