Introduction: Delimitation of the Arctic

Abstract

Whereas the antarctic continent itself is identical with the antarctic terrestrial ecosystem, it is a far more difficult matter to define the limits of the Arctic. Indeed, it often seems that mere naive impressions or the special field of research of the investigators concerned have been responsible for the variety of definitions found in the literature. Botanists and physical geographers have frequently taken the forest limit as representing the boundary of the Arctic, whereas others have preferred to make use of the length of the growing season. Climatologists have employed annual mean temperatures, as expressed for example by the 0 °C annual isotherm or by the 10 °C isotherm for July. Social geographers have claimed that the Arctic begins at the northernmost limit of agriculture, thus associating it with special forms of human culture. Soil scientists and engineers have defined the Arctic on the basis of the distribution of permanently frozen ground, with all of its attendant problems (structured soils, pingos, construction problems). Zoologists and botanists have postulated connections between the distribution of characteristic plant and animal species and the limits of the Arctic. Depending upon their personal preference oceanographers have defined the High Arctic or the Arctic as the region consistently covered with ice in summer or in winter (Figs. 1, 2).