Arctic Archipelago

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Wildlife

During the short arctic summers, dozens of species of migrating birds make use of the uncertain sections of open water that appear in the ecozone. As the pack ice breaks up, ice edges become crucial areas for mammals and seabirds. Taking advantage of the conditions there to feed, stage, and moult are small numbers of Tundra Swans, loons, geese, ducks, and several species of shorebirds, gulls, Jaegers, Arctic Terns, Alcids, and Fulmars.

Some of the Arctic wildlife includes Polar bear, Beluga whale,Walrus,Ross gull, Seal etc.

Subtopic

Arctic Archipelago Ecozone

Human Activities

One of the biggest concerns in my ecozone is climate change. The climate in my ecozone is average yearly temperature may be as low as −20°C in the north and −6°C in southern Baffin Island, with extreme low temperatures in the order of −50°C. In the High Arctic islands, summer temperatures may rise above freezing for only one or two months.Trhere are a lot of challenges in the Arctic like animals struggle to adapt to new terrain, changing food availability, and new predators and competitors. And while economic development is much needed in the region, it is not without risks, including oil and contaminant spills, increased noise, disruption from new traffic, and the introduction of invasive species. These changes can also put the well being of communities many of which rely on these species as a traditional food source and part of their culture, and on the sea ice as an important means of transportation – at risk.

Article

Oil and gas exploration and development provide economic opportunities but still continue to pose environmental threats to the ecozone, especially in the Beaufort Sea. As mineral prospectors gain more experience in northern latitudes, large mineral deposits may be found, raising questions about mine waste and tailings that could find their way into the sea.

The waters of the Arctic Archipelago Ecozone wash the shores of three provinces and two territories. Biologically, it is as least as productive as the adjacent lands. Canada's Inuit find most of their traditional food in this ecozone, so hunting and fishing remain significant human activities

Location

The Arctic Archipelago is located on the Northern 34 major islands of Nunavut

Plants

It occurs in northern Baffin Bay near Nares Strait, encouraging an earlier and more prolific bloom of phytoplankton than elsewhere in the ecozone. Further south,tidal pool zones support forests of kelp.

But by late summer, the ice has thinned enough to allow a seasonal bloom of tiny plants called phytoplankton. The largest natural upwelling of sea water ecozone is the North Water Polynya.

A polynya is an area of open water surrounded by a sea ice

In the high Arctic, snow-covered sea ice absorbs much of the solar radiation necessary for photosynthesis.

Landforms and Climate

The short cool summers of the Land of the Midnight Sun give way to long cold winters. Long periods of daylight in the summer help stretch the short growing season, but air temperatures remain stubbornly chilly. Even in July, mean daily temperatures average just 10°C. In winter, temperatures average about -30°C, and often much lower. In the southern range of the ecozone lie Hudson and James bays, where the waters are amongst the shallowest (50 to 150 metres) and the climates are the most temperate.

In the winter the climate arctic is -30°C or even lower. Also sea ice is jammed fast to the land and extends over the seas as a solid sheet. Polynyas, localized breaches in the ice where currents and upwellings create open water, can occur throughout the ecozone. The ice cover reaches its maximum thickness in May. In the brief spring and summer periods, the ice will breakup. In the northwestern parts of the ecozone,

The landforms in the Arctic includes islands and icebergs.