26 April, 2003

Where in the World is the Arctic?

When people mention they are going or have been to the Arctic, where exactly are they referring? People who live in parts of Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland or Norway can claim to live in the Arctic. The Arctic is more of a geographic area where temperatures during the warmest months are below 10 degrees celcius. You can use this website to help you convert from C to F. www.globalrph.com/tempconv.htm The Arctic Circle runs around the globe at latitude 67 degrees. Not all of the areas that are in the Arctic Circle are considered to be an Arctic climate.

As I am preparing to leave Cheppewa Falls, Wisconsin the weather is a beautiful 70 degrees F with only sun and warmth in the forecast. Greenland on the other hand may be having sunny days, but the warmth is not all there! To check the weather in Greenland just click on the noaa website. weather.noaa.gov/weather/GL_cc.html Remember SDR. Stoemfjord is the same community as Kangerlussuaq. There is not a weather forecast for the ice sheet but I will mention that during each of my journals. Summit, Greenland would be the nearest station with similar weather as I will be having. Summit is a research station that will be opened up in May. http://www.summitcamp.org/ It is time to go and enjoy my last warm sunny day for about a month.

The red line indicates areas that are in the Arctic Region. How many countries have territory in an Arctic region?