polar

• polar climate located at poles , lie within Arctic and Antarctic Circle
• definition: area lies within the 10 degrees isotherm - on the hottest months , average temp stays below 10 degrees
• constantly below freezing temperatures
• very little precipitation and majority of precipitation is snow
• few animals and plants can thrive due to undernourished , frozen soils and harsh climate
• population numbers in polar region low due to harsh conditions , difficult to obtain food , build or develop a large scale society
• 4 million people live in Artic regions e.g Alaska., Norway , Russia
• few indigenous residents due to development being so limited in past - few means of surviving in cold
• difficult to build buildings and infrastructure due to permafrost (frozen ground)

  • surface will easily crack
  • hard to build into
  • can melt when temperatures fluctuate (buildings unstable)
• adaptions due to permafrost:

  • building houses on stilts to avoid frost
  • building on large slabs of concrete
• day-to-day life affected by living in cold environment - clothing must be suitable , occupations limited and often seasonal e.g. oil , gas , coal work , tourism , fishing)
• agricultural productivity low due to poor soil and harsh climate
• food mainly comes from meat and fish rather than crops - type of farming is subsistence
• global warming causing areas of permafrost to decrease , meaning there will be arable land in polar climates - arable farming will be more attainable source of food