Cold Climates

The cold climates is one whose temperatures are permanently below 0 ° C. These areas are not very populated, since subsistence requires certain conditions and the combination of cold and strong winds makes their habitation very difficult.

In order to be able to make a definition of the climate, the values ​​of the different components must be understood. Elements such as precipitation, cloud cover, insolation, temperatures, winds, humidity and atmospheric pressure must last at least 30 years to be considered determinants of the climatic characteristics of an area.

Likewise, these elements will be conditioned by climatic factors such as latitude, altitude and geographic location. It must be taken into account that all these agents are governed by the shape of the planet and the inclination of its axis, which makes the incidence of solar rays unequal in different regions.

Cold weather is governed by air masses coming from the arctic, polar and antarctic areas. It can be classified into subclimates with specific characteristics, with low temperature being the most common. They are found in high latitudes, although in other latitudes it is possible to find climates similar to mountains and polar ones.

Location of Cold Climates

The cold zones are located in the polar circles, in the Arctic and Antarctic, which correspond to the north and south poles. These regions cover nearly 28% of floating or emerging lands.

The tundra area is located in northern North America, southeastern Europe, northern Asia and the coast of Greenland. For its part, the polar zone is located in Antarctica and in north-central Greenland.

The mountainous area is divided between the Himalayan, Altai Mountains, Andes, Sierra Madre, Caucasus, Rocky Mountains and Alps regions.

There are regions of South America, such as Puna and Patagonia, located in high mountain areas and which, although to a lesser extent than the poles, are very cold.

Chile and Argentina are the southernmost regions of South America and are characterized by their more isolated areas having a cold climate throughout the year.

Characteristics of cold climates

It is represented by two landscapes

The first of these landscapes in the tundra, which corresponds to an open and flat area whose subsoil does not develop plants. Mosses, grasses and lichens grow in its soil.

The second landscape is the glacial one. They are frozen surfaces and very high mountains with snow.

It has low temperatures

Due to the low incidence of solar rays as a result of the planet’s axial tilt, temperatures are below 0°C, reaching much less than -50°C in colder areas.

The percentage of radiation from snow and ice (albedo) is very high, so rays that affect the surface are reflected before they can be heated.

The weather is dry

In these climates, humidity is scarce due to low temperatures, which means that rainfall seasons are practically non-existent. This conditions the life cycles of plant and animal species.

The floors are frozen

The inner soils of the tundra are permanently frozen throughout the year, because their inner layers are affected by extremely low temperatures.

there are strong winds

The air masses that move horizontally are called winds, produced by the variation in atmospheric pressure. As temperatures drop, they become much more intense.

Presence of snowfall

This phenomenon occurs when warm, moist air masses rise into the atmosphere due to a temperature contrast.

This forms clouds that condense water into crystals and are precipitated by weight, falling to the ground and forming layers because temperatures are below 0°C.

Generate inhospitable places

These areas have a small population because their climatic conditions exceed the limits of human endurance. In addition, they do not have soil suitable for cultivation; These characteristics also hinder the development of plant and animal species.

types of cold climates

You can find different types of cold climates or subclimates. These are determined by your location and the elements and weather factors they affect. In cold climates, three categories stand out: tundra climate, polar climate and mountain climate.

Tundra or boreal climate

In these areas (Arctic coast, Greenland, Siberia and Antarctica), the winters are rigorously long; These are regions with a latitude of 60 to 75 degrees.

Summer as such does not exist, there is only a very short and cold season of 0 ° in May, which is the least cold month. Snow is the permanent form of precipitation.

Polar air masses predominate and the development of cyclonic storms is normal. In these areas, plants such as lichens, ferns, grasses and mosses grow.

polar climate

These are areas of permanent cold, with a winter that lasts eight to nine months and a very cold summer. On average, temperatures range from -20 to -30 °C, reaching as low as -90 °C.

The Earth’s axial tilt causes the polar zones to move away from the equator. For this reason, these regions do not receive a large amount of sunlight, which makes them the coldest on the planet.

mountain weather

The height of this area reduces pressure and temperature, and its relief causes an increase in rainfall due to increased air masses. This produces a specific climate regardless of latitude.

Wild life

The animal species capable of surviving in these latitudes are counted and with very particular characteristics. Throughout their evolution, they have developed systems that allow them to face the inclemency of this type of climate.

These species are subdivided into predators and herbivores and had to adapt to survive in these extreme spaces.

There are also those who, despite not having developed those systems that allow them to adapt to extreme cold conditions, have found a means of survival in the construction of underground tunnels.

These areas are rich in plankton, which makes them attractive to certain aquatic species, such as molluscs, aquatic mammals and fish. Likewise, elephant seals, seals and whales are part of the region’s marine fauna.

During the polar summer, birds migrate to the poles. These include geese, partridges and ducks. In this summer season, insects and mammals like squirrels, wolves and reindeer are also abundant.

Next, we will detail the most relevant characteristics of the main representatives of the fauna of cold climates:

musk ox

This species inhabits the Arctic. His body has enough fat and is covered with thick long brown hair, which makes him look very robust.

Its legs are thick and very short, as are its neck and tail. It has a small hump and horns in the middle of its head, the tips of which are black.

Adults weigh between 180 and 410 kg. The largest males measure between 200 and 250 centimeters in length, while females reach between 135 and 250 centimeters.

They are diurnal and social. They are characterized by living in flocks and are herbivores, therefore they consume roots, mosses and stems.

Polar Bear

It is the well-known white bear. Its tail and ears are small and its diet is meat-based; Stamps are your favorite. Its lower extremities end in strong legs that allow it to travel long distances.

The dense layer of plump and abundant skin retains body heat. They do not hibernate, but the females waiting for the young take refuge for the winter.

Whale

The boreal whale that lives in Greenland has a strong body and a dorsal fin. It weighs around 100 tons and measures 18 meters in length.

Indiscriminate hunting has reduced its population. This specimen inhabits the Arctic zone and feeds mainly on krill.

polar fox

Inhabits the North American and European tundras. Its ears are small, its hair is white and its tail is bushy. The polar fox feeds on birds and small mammals.

arctic hare

It adapts very well to the cold. It can be found in Sweden, Norway, Greenland and Iceland, among other areas.

It has a white coat that turns bluish during the short summer. This hare feeds on berries, buds and leaves.

harp seal

Inhabits the glacial ocean of the Arctic and the North Atlantic. Seals live in colonies and feed on fish. During adulthood, their bodies are silver and their faces are black.

Reindeer

Also known as caribou, it is found in the northern hemisphere (Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia). They move in a herd, and the males are not close to the herd. Their huge hooves make it easy for them to walk through the snow.

Penguin

It is a seabird that does not fly. You can swim thanks to its rigid fins with bone, reaching up to 60 km / hour. It has special blood vessels, three layers of feathers and a thick layer of fat.

Flora

In Antarctica, there are vascular forms that produce seeds. Examples of flora representative of cold climates are Antarctic carnation and Antarctic grass, species that grow among mosses and are small. From these grow tiny white flowers.

Antarctic Carnation

Its scientific name is Colobanthus quitensis and it is also known as the Antarctic pearl. The flowers of this species are yellow and the leaves they produce reach up to 5 centimeters in height, generating a mantle on the ground with a certain thickness.

It is possible to find the Antarctic carnation in a wide territorial extension, since it grows from Mexico to the Antarctic peninsula. As a result of global warming, in Antarctica there were more seeds of this plant, which germinate much more during the summer.

Clove also has a photoprotective mechanism, through which it can reduce excess energy by releasing heat.

Antarctic grassland

Antarctic grass is a medicinal and food plant. During the summer it also increases its germination; Thanks to this, it is abundant in areas with cold climates.

It produces sugars, mainly fructans and sucrose, and is of great interest to the food industry. Its compounds absorb ultraviolet rays, filtering the sun’s rays; Thanks to this, it was considered as a possible treatment for foot or skin cancer.

Its scientific name is Deschampsia Antártica , and it is also known as the Antarctic hairy herb.

Vegetation

This type of climate does not allow the development of trees; instead, it gives way to an ecosystem that resists the extreme conditions that low temperatures represent: the tundra.

It is characterized by extensive plains in which the proliferation of plants is scarce and of simple and low structure. The ground is covered with moss, as well as ericaceae, lichens and cypresses.

Although tall vegetation does not predominate, it has flowering vegetation and more than 300 species, including flowering and hepatic grasses. Also, near the boreal forest, we can find birch, alder and willow trees.

Other species

mushrooms

They grow microscopically in the ground. There are only 10 macroscopic structures that occur sporadically among mosses during the Antarctic summer.

Lichen

They are the plant that best adapts to the prevailing climate in Antarctica. They are plants with a double characteristic: they have algae and a kind of fungus that performs a symbiosis. They grow on stones, mosses, soil and rocks.

mosses

They are small forms without vascular tissue whose life cycle consists of two phases: the gametophyte and the sporophyte.

Hepatic

It is a kind of perennial herb that is green in color and small in size. These specimens grow in humid forests.

terrestrial algae

In Antarctica, there are some species of terrestrial green algae and cyanophytes. Among these are unicellular algae and other multicellular algae.

Bird nests provide nutrients; for this reason, nests are often seen in these formations.

aquatic vegetation

Grows in sea or freshwater preparations. It is mainly composed of plankton, which floats; or by benthos, which are at the bottom of the waters.

There are about 100 species of diatoms; these are found in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters.

Population

There are indigenous communities that inhabit the polar region of the Arctic despite the extreme climatic conditions

In recent years, protection projects for this area have been approved and completed, such as the Green Edge Project, which supports indigenous communities that depend on hunting and fishing.

The oil industry has caused serious damage to the area‘s environment as a result of the methane emissions produced by its activities. This affects the marine ecosystem and communities, which face the problems of global warming. As a result of these practices, melting of the area was caused.

These changes affect the climate and modify the development of resources and their quality, harming communities and the economy, since the livelihood of these inhabitants depends exclusively on the marine environment.

During the summer in Antarctica, about 4000 people live together, while in the winter there are only a thousand. Scientific work brings together communities of researchers throughout the year.