Subarctic climate: characteristics, characteristics and adaptation of people

The subarctic climate is a specific type of weather that corresponds to one of the climatic zones of the planet. By geographic location is located closer to the North Pole. This is a transitional type between the coldest Arctic and favorable moderate weather conditions. The subarctic climate prevails in the Northern Hemisphere, while in the Southern Hemisphere there is a subantarctic climate.

The described belt passes through the northern part of Canada, the peninsula of Alaska, the southern coast of Greenland, the northern regions of Iceland, the Scandinavian Peninsula, the Far East and Siberia.

Climate Characteristics

• The subarctic climate has a distinctive feature: it has a long winter and a short summer (sometimes absent altogether).
• The dominance of cyclones throughout the year (Arctic, winter Siberian and North American, constantly replacing each other).
• The maximum temperature of the warmest month is + 15 ° С.
• During the whole year frosts are possible. In winter, the thermometer mainly displays -5 ° C on the islands and -40 ° C on the mainland.
• Low temperatures do not saturate the air with moisture, so there is very little precipitation in the climate zone. They fall mainly in the summer. Nevertheless, due to low temperatures, the precipitation still exceeds the volatility, and this affects the swampiness of the region.
• In winter, when the Arctic air masses come from the poles , the air temperature decreases. Penetrating deep into the continents, it can reach -60 ° C.
• The average mark of air temperature varies depending on the natural zone and remoteness from the oceans: in the tundra zone there is practically no summer, the temperature in July is no more than +12 ° C, the winter is long and frosty, the precipitation is less than 300 mm; In the taiga zone, the precipitation increases to 400 mm / g, the short-term, but still summer season is more clearly manifested.
• Polar nights and low sunlight at noon provide a negative radiation balance on the territory, which affects the permanently cold underlying surface. Even if the weather keeps warm for a few days, the soil still does not have time to warm up.

Varieties

The subarctic climate is divided into 4 main types. The main criterion of the difference is the wet cold index (Köppen classification):

• Dwc - moderately cold climate with dry winter;
• Dwd - cold dry climate with frosts down to -40 ° C;
• Dfc - moderately cold climate with uniform moistening;
• Dfd is a moderately cold climate with warm temperatures up to + 20 ° C.

Features

Subarctic type of climate formed the eponymous natural geographical belt with natural zones of tundra and forest-tundra.

Pole of cold (the lowest temperature) was registered in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), in with. Oymyakon. Here, the subarctic climate is particularly severe: the lowest temperature was recorded at -71 ° C. The average winter temperatures of the Oymyakon Valley are -50 ° C. This territory is considered the most northern populated region on the planet.

Human life

This type of climate is unfavorable for people to live. The weather conditions are so severe that it is quite difficult to survive in these places. However, life in these territories still exists. Historically, populations of people have adapted to the conditions of a certain type of climate (ecotypes). One of the largest is the Arctic adaptive type. This is the population that lives within the Arctic and subarctic climatic zones.

If people can not exist permanently in the Arctic zone, then life in the subarctic is possible. The only thing that should be noted: it has its own characteristics. Adaptation of people to the subarctic climate takes a long time and is difficult. It is difficult to build houses in a zone of permafrost and frozen ground, especially urban ones.

On a man, the climate also has a detrimental effect: constant frosts and cold winter expose the body to frequent colds and other viral diseases, and long periods of polar nights adversely affect the nervous system.

On what does human life depend in such conditions?

The life of a person in the subarctic zone depends entirely on nature: in a short summer period, people collect berries, mushrooms, herbs. Taiga is rich in game and other animals, there are a lot of fish in the reservoirs.

Characterization of the subarctic climate makes it clear that growing plants under such conditions can sometimes please, and in other cases - upsetting. The amount of food is not a constant factor, a rich harvest in the summer can be replaced by a meager winter. For this reason, large industrial cities are not built within the subarctic belt, people live in small villages where they can feed themselves.

In recent years, man has constantly challenged nature, and what was considered impossible before becomes reality now. High technologies help to resolve the issue of the construction of houses suitable for living in these harsh regions, and the possibility of fast transportation provides people in the far north with products that they lack (fruits, vegetables).

Need examples of people adapting to the subarctic climate? People living in this territory are forced to procure food and buy warm clothes. The Chukchi and the Nenets wear things made of reindeer hide and fur. They are engaged in hunting, fishing in order to feed themselves.

In this belt are the southern islands belonging to the Barents Sea, some regions of the Russian Federation: Western Siberia, the northeast and the East European Plain.