Subarctic climate

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Regions having a subarctic climate (also called boreal climate) are characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and brief, warm summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N. Due to the absence of any large landmasses at such latitudes, it is not found in the Southern Hemisphere. These climates represent Koppen climate classification Dfc, Dwc, Dfd and Dwd.

This type of climate offers some of the most extreme seasonal temperature variations found on the planet: In winter, temperature can drop to −40°C (also −40°F) and in summer, the temperature may exceed 30°C (86°F). However, the summers are short; no more than three months of the year (but at least one month) must have a 24-hour average temperature of at least 10°C (50°F) to fall into such climate. The subarctic climate is a subset of the continental climate. The subarctic climate is found in the following areas:

• Much of Siberia
• The northern half of Scandinavia (milder winters in coastal areas)
• Most of Alaska
• Much of Canada from about 50°N to the tree line, including:
  • Southern Labrador
  • Northern Quebec except for the far north
  • Far northern Ontario
  • The northern Prairie Provinces
  • Most of the Yukon
  • Most of the Northwest Territories

With 5-7 consecutive months where the average temperature is below freezing, all moisture in the soil and subsoil freezes solidly to depths of many feet. Summer warmth is insufficient to thaw more than a few surface feet, so permafrost prevails under large areas. Seasonal thaw penetrates from 2 to 14 ft (0.6 to 4 m), depending on latitude, aspect, and kind of ground.^[1] Some northern areas with subarctic climates located near oceans (southern Alaska, northern fringe of Europe) have milder winters and no permafrost and are thus more suited for farming.

The frost-free season is very short, varying from about 45 to 100 days at most, and a freeze can occur during any month in many areas. Vegetation in the subarctic climate is generally of low diversity, as only hardy species can survive the long winters and make use of the short summers. Trees are mostly limited to ferns and evergreen conifers, as few broadleafed trees are able to survive the very low temperatures in winter; this type of forest is also known as taiga, a term which is sometimes applied to the climate found therein as well. Even if the diversity is low, numbers are high, and the taiga (boreal) forest is the largest forest biome on the planet, with most of the forests located in Russia and Canada.

Agricultural potential is generally poor, due to the natural infertility of soils and the prevalence of swamps and lakes left by departing ice sheets, and short growing seasons prohibit all but the hardiest of crops. (The long summer days at such latitude do permit some agriculture though despite the short season) In some places, ice scoured rock surfaces bare, entirely stripping off the overburden. Elsewhere rock basins were formed and stream courses dammed, creating countless lakes. ^[1]

There is very little precipitation, no more than 15 to 20 inches over an entire year and, away from the coasts, occurs mostly in the warmer months. Low precipitation by the standards of warmer places with longer and warmer winters, is typically sufficient, in view of the very low evapotranspiration, to allow a water-sogged terrain in many places of subarctic climate.

Poleward or even approaching polar seas, the warmest month has an average temperature less than 10°C (50°F), and the subarctic climate grades into a tundra climate even less suitable for trees.

Sample locations with such climates^[2]:

• Fairbanks, Alaska
• Whitehorse, Yukon
• Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
• Thompson, Manitoba
• Moosonee, Ontario
• Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Rovaniemi, Finland
• Kiruna, Sweden
• Arkhangelsk, Russia
• Irkutsk, Russia
• Chita, Russia

Sample locations with the extreme Dfd climate include:

• Oymyakon, Russia
• Verkhoyansk, Russia

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.fs.fed.us/colorimagemap/images/130.html
2. ^ http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/climate_systems/subarctic.html

Climate types under the Köppen climate classification
Class A: Tropical (Af) - Monsoon (Am) - Savanna (Aw, As)
Class B: Arid (BWh, BWk) - Semi-arid (BSh, BSk)
Class C: Humid subtropical (Cfa, Cwa) - Oceanic (Cfb, Cwb, Cfc) - Mediterranean (Csa, Csb)
Class D: Humid continental (Dfa, Dwa, Dfb, Dwb) - Subarctic (Dfc, Dwc, Dfd) - High-altitude Mediterranean (Dsa, Dsb, Dsc)
Class E: Polar (ET, EF) - Alpine (ETH)