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EduTech Research Project Presents John Tyman's INUIT ~ People of the Arctic Unit 1: INUIT: POLAR ENVIRONMENTS Back to Main Navigation Page |
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As regions of high atmospheric pressure both the Arctic and the Antarctic receive very litlle precipitation. But though little snow actually falls in the Arctic it rarely melts. It blankets the earth for eight months of the year and blows around a lot. The deep drifts, where the snow collects in sheltered areas, provide the raw materials for the "iglus" still built by hunters for overnight shelter. |
During heavy snow falls travel is dangerous, as it is impossible to make out the horizon: land and sky blend as one.. . |
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While the greater bulk of the precipitation here falls as snow, light rains are not uncommon in spring and summer, when the outlook is damp and dark. |
The ice forms first on the lakes in the autumn, and gets thicker as time passes. In places it may end up being two metres thick.. |
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Along the coast the ice forms first at the head of the bays and advances seawards as the weather gets colder. The position of the ice edge is marked by clouds of water vapour. Eventually the whole bay will all be iced over and the ice will extend many miles out to sea. . |
In exposed positions the ice is broken by winds and tides, but while it may be difficult to cross in places it allows the hunter access to food beneath the ice. You must be wary of wind changes, though, for these can cause the ice to break away along cracks like this and drift out to sea.. |
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Winter inland, except when the wind is howling, is a time of deep silence broken only by the occasional animal's cry, but this changes suddenly in the spring. Summer is slow in coming, but when the thaw comes it comes with a rush. |
Everywhere there's the sound of running water as it runs across the rocks, heading downhill.. . |
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Since the lakes are still frozen over the water floods the edge of the ice till it can escape through a crack. Eventually the ice itself will break up and be carried away downstream but this won't happen for several weeks. . |
Because of permafrost below the surface (the subsoil being permanently frozen due to the coolness and shortness of the summer) water cannot percolate downwards as it does in most countries. Instead it collects in low lying areas and as a result the Arctic landscape is characterised by innumerable lakes and ponds with a lot of swampy ground in between.. |
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Along the coast, meltwater streams similarly discharge on to the ice. . |
In the early summer whole river systems etch their paths into the level surface seeking means of escape. |
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Travellers have to pick their way carefully, avoiding the cracks. |
Appropriate clothing is also necessary. It's a hair-raising time for travel!. |
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But the melting snow gives promise of open water in mid-summer, for boats marooned on the ice in winter. |
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Because of the coolness and shortness of the summer here soils are thin and stony. They are often poorly drained, and their mineral particles are commonly sorted by repeated freezing and thawing. |
The expansion of the water in the soil when it freezes during what passes for night during the warmer part of the year here forces the larger fragments to the surface or squeezes them to one side.. |
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Patterned ground, unique to cold lands, is caused by much the same process. Sometimes the pieces in the mosaic are defined by ridges. |
Elsewhere they are outlined by ditches.. . |
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Text, photos and recordings by
John Tyman
Intended for Educational Use Only.
Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
University, 2008.
Contact Dr.
John Tyman for more information regarding licensing.
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