D - Arctic Ecosystem

VISION
CNSC as a Premier Higher Education Institution in the Bicol Region.

Republic of the Philippines
MISSION
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE The Camarines Norte State College shall provide higher and advanced studies
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION in the fields of education, arts and sciences, economics, health, engineering,
ABAÑO CAMPUS management, finance, accounting, business and public administration
fisheries, agriculture, natural resources development and management and
Daet, Camarines Norte ladderized courses. It shall also respond to research, extension and production
services adherent to progressive leadership towards sustainable development.
The Arctic Ecosystem
As you look down from outer space, through the solar winds generated by the
outpourings of the sun gusting to 200 km per minute, through the -200° C ozone depleted
stratosphere, through the boundary layer at 3 km between the upper and lower atmosphere,
there you see the Arctic lying in winter darkness dominated by the 15 million square miles of
polar sea ice. In summer this is reduced to about 8 million square kilometres. The sea ice
extends south to three exits of the Arctic Ocean - the narrow exit west of Greenland into the
North Atlantic; through the 500 km wide strait between Greenland and Svalbard; and through
the 70 kilometre Bering Strait between Chukotka and Alaska into the Bering Sea and
onwards to the Pacific Ocean. The land surrounding the Arctic Ocean is covered by many
glaciers but is dominated by the Greenland Ice Cap covering 1.7 million square kilometres
and with a maximum thickness of 3200 km - a massive volume of 2.8 million cubic
kilometres. Glacial fingers extend down the mountain ridges in Norway, the Urals, Kolyma,
Alaska, the Yukon and Baffin Island reaching well below the Arctic Circle.
Deep snow blankets land near the oceans but barely covers the polar deserts and
semi-deserts of the continental land masses. Here, on patterned ground, musk ox and
reindeer scratch for fodder while fox and wolf scavenge and female Polar Bears sleep and
give birth in their snow lairs. Below the frozen soil are solid ice wedges and permafrost, deep
and continuous in the high Arctic but discontinuous in the sub-Arctic. The ice covering the
surface of deeper lakes, rivers and seas overlies water which is still above freezing while the
air temperature is -50oC or below. As you follow the seasonal cycle, the sun rising above the
horizon radiates the Arctic, warming the air, causing the sea ice to thin and retreat. The
snow and ice melt on land, rivers flood with melt water, large volumes flow into the coastal
waters lowering both th temperature and salnity. Migrating reindeer, geese, ducks and
waders return to feed on new plant growth and emerging insects.
The waters circulate within the Arctic Ocean and force their way under the warmer surface
waters, through the narrow exits into the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (see figure
1).Whales and seals move northwards providing food for the polar bears. On land the sun's
radiation warms the surface vegetation and bare ground, raising temperatures above that of
the air. The land bursts into colour almost 'overnight' - partly because there is no night.
Migrating reindeer, geese, ducks and waders return to feed on new plant growth and
emerging insects.
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Salmon run the rivers and the bears gorge. Below the land surface temperatures rise more
slowly and the soil melts to form an 'active layer' where microorganisms and insect larvae
resume activity, and organic matter starts to decompose above the permafrost (see figure 3).
This is the Arctic Ecosystem - the Cryosphere. It is relatively self-contained (a Northern
Mediterranean); the atmosphere, land, freshwater and sea are highly interconnected
(coupled) vertically and laterally. There is circulation within the system from air to land to
water to sea and back again. There is circulation of ice and sea, of chemicals, of animals
and plants, and Humans within and around the Arctic Ocean.
If you 'push' one part of the system, the affects will be felt in other parts of the system. Thus,
if the climate changes - as it has always done - increased melt water will circulate in the
Arctic Ocean; if the capelin population crashes in the sea the effects are felt on land through
the food web; if pollutants are released into the atmosphere or the sea in one place they are
transported to other parts of the region.
What is Food web?

A food web is similar to a food chain but larger. The diagram combines many food chains
into one picture. The diagram uses arrows to show the energy relationships among
organisms. Food webs show how plants and animals are connected in many ways. The
arrow points from the organism being eaten to the organism that eats it.
What is Food Chain?

A food chain shows how each living thing getsfood, and how nutrients and energy are
passed from creature to creature. Food chains begin with plant-life, and end with animal-life.
Some animals eat plants, some animals eat other animals. A simple food chain could start
with grass, which is eaten by rabbits.
The economic importance of the Arctic

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The Arctic is increasingly becoming an area of geo-political, geo-economic and geo-

ecological interest. Climate change resulting from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions
is causing rapid warming and melting of ice in the Arctic. This makes areas in the North
Polar Region with raw materials potential increasingly accessible for economic exploitation
and development. However, the economic opportunities come with high risks for the Arctic's
ecosystems.
The Arctic region is economically significant for Germany as well. German companies are
important consumers of Norwegian and Russian oil and gas. They cooperate with
companies in Norway and the Russian Federation on the development of gas deposits using
German technological know-how.
● Resources
Large quantities of coal, oil and natural gas are to be found in the basins of the arctic Ocean,
and in northern Canada, Alaska, and the Russian Federation. The cost and difficulty of
extraction and more recently, awareness of damage to the environment, have limited
exploitation to coastal regions. The unfrozen waters have stocks of fish including cod,
flounder, and haddock. Quotas have now been put in place to restrict the number of fish
caught annually. Reindeer are herded in large numbers by many of the native Arctic
peoples. Most grain and vegetables are imported from elsewhere.
Adaptations to conditions
● Humans
Humans living in the Arctic region generally rely on warm clothing and buildings to protect
them from the elements. Acclimatization, or the adjustment to new conditions, appears to be
the most common form of adaptation to cold environments. No genetic advantage has been
found when different people groups or races are compared. There is no evidence that fat is
grown in response to cold, although its presence is advantageous. Amazingly, most people
living in the Arctic region live a lifestyle very connected to the environment, spending
significant time outside and depending heavily on hunting and fishing.
● Other animals
Animals that are active in the winter have adaptations for surviving the intense cold. A
common example is the presence of strikingly large feet in proportion to body weight. These
act like snowshoes, and can be found on animals like the snowshoe hare and caribou. Many
of the animals in the Arctic are larger than their temperate counterparts (Bergmann’s rule),
taking advantage of the smaller ratio of surface area to volume that comes with increasing
size. This increases the ability to conserve heat. Layers of fat, plumage, and fur are also
VISION
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very effective insulators to help retain warmth and are common in Arctic animals including
polar bears and marine mammals. Some animals also have digestive adaptations to improve
their ability to digest woody plants either with or without the aid of microbial organisms. This
is highly advantageous during the winter months when most soft vegetation is beneath the
snow pack.
Not all Arctic animals directly face the rigors of winter. Many migrate to warmer climates at
lower latitudes, while others avoid the difficulties of winter by hibernating until spring.
Although these options might seem to be easy solutions to the difficulties of surviving an
extreme environment, both are very expensive in terms of energy and risk of predation.
● Plants
One of the most serious problems that plants face is ice crystal formation in the cells, which
results in tissue death. Plants have two ways to resist freezing: avoid it or tolerate it. Plants
have several avoidance mechanisms to prevent freezing. It can build up insulation, have its
stem close to the ground, use the insulation from snow cover, and supercool. When
supercooling, water is able to remain in its liquid state down to −38 °C or −36 °F (compared
to its usual 0 °C or 32 °F freezing point). After water reaches −38 °C (−36 °F), it
spontaneously freezes and plant tissue is destroyed. This is called the nucleation point. The
nucleation point can be lowered if dissolved solutes are present.
Alternatively, plants have several different ways to tolerate freezing. Some plants allow
freezing by allowing extracellular, but not intracellular freezing. Plants let water freeze in
extracellular spaces, which creates a high vapor deficit that pulls water vapor out of the cell.
This process dehydrates the cell and allows it to survive temperatures well below −38 °C
(−36 °F).
Another problem associated with extreme cold is cavitation. Ring-porous wood is susceptible
to cavitation because the large pores that are used for water transport easily freeze.
Cavitation is much less of problem in trees with ring-diffuse wood. In ring-diffuse wood, there
is a reduced risk of cavitation, as transport pores are smaller. The trade-off is that these
species are not able to transport water as efficiently.

D - Arctic Ecosystem

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D - Arctic Ecosystem

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VISION

CNSC as a Premier Higher Education Institution in the Bicol Region.

The Arctic Ecosystem

What is Food web?

What is Food Chain?

The economic importance of the Arctic

The Arctic is increasingly becoming an area of geo-political, geo-economic and geo-

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