Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is the northernmost region on Earth, encompassing areas north of the 66° 33' line of latitude, which includes the Arctic Ocean and the geographic North Pole. Characterized by extreme variations in daylight, the Arctic experiences unique phenomena such as the polar night, where darkness prevails for six months during winter, and the midnight sun, where daylight lasts for six months in summer. Home to diverse ecosystems, the region supports various flora and fauna, including polar bears, seals, and unique plant life that adapts to its harsh conditions.
Although sparsely populated, the Arctic Circle is home to approximately four million people, including indigenous communities that have thrived for thousands of years. Climate change is significantly impacting this area, leading to rising temperatures and melting ice, which poses risks to both wildlife and human settlements. Additionally, the Arctic Circle is of strategic interest to nations due to its untapped natural resources, including oil, gas, and valuable metals, leading to geopolitical tensions over resource claims. As climate change alters accessibility to this region, it may become a focal point for international competition, further complicating the delicate balance between environmental preservation and resource exploitation.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Arctic Circle
The northernmost region on Earth, the Arctic Circle, is the area around the geographic North Pole. The Arctic Circle is approximately the region north of the 66° 33’ line of latitude, but the exact line of latitude considered the Arctic Circle shifts slightly depending on Earth’s tilt and rotation. The Arctic Circle is known for having one day a year when the sun does not rise and one day a year when the sun does not set.
The Arctic Circle’s southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. It is located at approximately the 66° 33’ southern line of latitude, around the South Pole. It also experiences one day when the sun does not set and one day when the sun does not rise, but the days are reversed from those in the Arctic Circle.
Background
The region known as the Arctic is defined in various ways, most commonly by the boundary of the Arctic Circle. Areas within the Arctic Circle experience extremes of day length, with the sun staying up for long periods in the summer but for only brief periods in the winter. On the summer solsticeusually on June 20th or 21stthe sun does not set in the Arctic Circle. On the winter solsticeusually on December 21st or 22ndthe sun does not rise in the Arctic Circle. The number of continuous days of darkness or sunlight increases as one travels north in the Arctic Circle. The geographic North Pole experiences a full six months of darkness and a full six months of light. These stretches of darkness and light are called the polar night and the midnight sun. These phenomena occur because of Earth’s tilt on its axis. During winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the northern portion of Earth is tipped away from the sun. Earth’s curvature creates a shadow that covers the North Pole. During summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the northern portion of Earth is tipped toward the sun.
The latitude that is considered the Arctic Circle has been slowly moving northward for years. Each year, it moves roughly 15 meters northward, making the region that experiences a winter solstice and a summer solstice smaller each year. This change occurs because the gravitational attraction of the moon causes Earth to wobble on its axis. Natural forces cause the shrinking of the Arctic Circle, which has nothing to do with climate change.
Overview
The Arctic Circle includes almost the entire Arctic Ocean and the geographic North Pole. The Arctic Ocean has thick ice cover, though its ice has been melting because of climate change. The Arctic Circle also includes land from numerous countries, though none lies entirely within the Arctic Circle. Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland are all European countries with parts lying north of the Arctic Circle. Parts of Russia, Canada, and the state of Alaska in the United States also lie inside the Arctic Circle. Although much of the land inside the Arctic Circle is sparsely populated, people have lived in the Arctic for roughly ten thousand years. These were mainly small groups of indigenous people, who used the resources of the Arctic to survive for thousands of years. Many of these small indigenous communities still exist in Canada and Greenland, particularly those of the Inuit people. However, many other people live in the Arctic Circle. In 2020 roughly four million people lived in Arctic Circle. The city with the largest population inside the Arctic Circle is Rovaniemi, Finland, but most people who live inside the Arctic Circle are in Russia.
The nations surrounding the Arctic Ocean all want to claim authority over it and its rich natural resources. The conflict regarding which country or countries will have the right to mine these resources is sometimes called the Arctic Resources Race, and has led many nations to claim areas of the Arctic seafloor. Scientists believe that the Arctic’s gas and oil deposits could make up as much as 13 percent of all Earth’s untapped petroleum resources. Furthermore, the region has other valuable metals, such as nickel and copper ore. Scientists believe that the region might also include rare Earth elements used in batteries and electronics.
The Arctic Circle is known for its cold, snowy climate, though most areas in the Arctic experience temperature differences because of the seasons. The average low temperature in some parts of the Arctic can reach roughly –40 degrees Fahrenheit (–40 degrees Celsius). Climate change has greatly affected the Arctic Circle. The Arctic and Antarctic have been affected more by climate change than other areas of Earth. For example, between 1980 and 2020, the average temperature increase around Earth was 1.44 degrees Fahrenheit (–16.9 degrees Celsius). However, the Arctic warmed roughly 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit (–15.8 degrees Celsius) during the same period. The poles warm faster than other parts of Earth because of how atmospheric and oceanic systems move heat around the globe. In June 2020, Verkhoyansk, Russia—a town inside the Arctic Circle—reached 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), which is more than 30 degrees warmer than its average temperature in June.
Despite the cold temperatures and snowy, icy conditions, some plants and animals live in the Arctic. Trees grow in some southern parts of the Arctic Circle. North of the treeline, however, temperatures are too cold for trees to survive. In areas above the treeline, grasses, sedges, mosses, and lichens grow. In some places in the Arctic, insects like mosquitoes and moths are common. Other animals living in the Arctic include muskoxen, polar bears, seals, and lemmings. The Arctic’s plants and animals have also been affected by climate change, in particular polar bears. The polar bears need to walk on ice to catch seals, which they need to survive. As the ice melts in the Arctic, more polar bears die of starvation. Other polar bears encroach on human habitats to find food, which creates conflict between the animals and humans.
Global climate change threatens to make the Arctic Circle a future area for geopolitical competition, including the potential for military confrontation. As the ice recedes through the Arctic Circle, it may soon be traversable in its entirety by ship. Many have likened the future Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean Sea in that it will serve to unite continents, but as a flashpoint. Military forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are now planning for contingencies where they may have to confront adversary forces, such as from Russia and China, who may seek to exploit the resources of a newly accessible area.
Bibliography
“Arctic.” National Geographic, 2021, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/arctic. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
“Arctic Circle—Where Is It & What to Do Here?” Lapland, Finland, www.lapland.fi/visit/only-in-lapland/arctic-circle. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
Baker, Mike. “With Eyes on Russia, the U.S. Military Prepares for an Arctic Future .” The New York Times, 27 Mar. 2022, www.nytimes.com/2022/03/27/us/army-alaska-arctic-russia.html. Accessed 21 May 2024.
“Basic Information about the Arctic.” Arctic Centre University of Lapland, www.arcticcentre.org/EN/arcticregion. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
Degener, Christina. “Is Iceland in the Arctic Circle?” Iceland Unlimited, Jan. 2017, icelandunlimited.is/is-iceland-in-the-arctic-circle. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
“Frequently Asked Questions about the Arctic.” NOAA, www.pmel.noaa.gov/arctic-zone/faq.html. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
Horton, Alex. “In the Arctic, American Commandos Game Out a Great-Power War.” The Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024, www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/04/11/navy-seals-green-berets-arctic-russia-china. Accessed 21 May 2024.
Paterson, W.S.B., et al. “Arctic Circle.” Canadian Encyclopedia, 28 Nov. 2017, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/arctic-circle. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
Means, Tiffany. “The Arctic Circle: Polar portal to the Arctic.” Live Science, 8 Jul. 2020, www.livescience.com/arctic-circle.html. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
Nace, Trevor. “The Arctic Circle Hit 100°F Saturday, Its Hottest Temperature Ever.” Forbes, 22 Jun. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2020/06/22/the-arctic-circle-hit-101f-saturday-its-hottest-temperature-ever/?sh=7f5580df4eb6. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.
“What is the Arctic?” National Snow and Ice Data Center, 4 May 2020, https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/arctic-meteorology/arctic.html. Accessed 9 Mar. 2021.