{{Short description|Ecosystem in northern Canada}} {{Infobox ecoregion |name = Northern Arctic |image = Sila River & Wager Bay 1996-07-26.jpg |image_size = |image_alt = |caption = [[Arctic tundra]] in [[Ukkusiksalik National Park]], [[Nunavut]] |map = |map_size = |map_alt = |map_caption = |biome = |animals = |bird_species = |mammal_species = |border1 = [[Arctic Cordillera]] |border2 = [[Southern Arctic Ecozone (CEC)|Southern Arctic]] |area = 1,507,872 |country = [[Canada]] |state1 = [[Northwest Territories]] |state2 = [[Nunavut]] |state3 = [[Quebec]] |elevation = |coordinates = |geology = |seas = |rivers = |climate = [[Polar climate|Polar]] |soil = |conservation = |global200 = |habitat_loss = |habitat_loss_ref = |protected = |protected_ref = |embedded = }}
The '''Northern Arctic Ecozone''' is a Level II terrestrial [[List of ecoregions in North America (CEC)|ecoregion of North America]] designated by the [[Commission for Environmental Cooperation]] (CEC) in its [[North American Environmental Atlas]]. It is a Canadian terrestrial [[Ecozones of Canada|ecozone]] which includes most of the [[Canadian Arctic Archipelago]], the [[Boothia Peninsula|Boothia]] and [[Melville peninsula|Melville Peninsulas]] of [[Nunavut]], and the northwestern tip of [[Quebec]]. Its marine borders are with the [[Arctic Archipelago Marine Ecozone (CEC)|Arctic Archipelago Marine Ecozone]], and it is adjacent to the mainland [[Southern Arctic Ecozone (CEC)|Southern Arctic Ecozone]].
Sparsely populated, it is home to 15,000 inhabitants, approximately 80% of whom are [[Inuit]]. The largest settlement is [[Iqaluit]].<ref name="people">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/vignettes/Terrestrial/na/human.cfm |title=Human Activities in the Northern Arctic Ecozone |work=Southern Arctic Ecozone |publisher=[[Environment Canada]] |accessdate=2008-02-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040703052139/http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/vignettes/Terrestrial/na/human.cfm |archivedate=July 3, 2004 }}</ref> The cold winters are very dark, typically having no daylight for weeks or even months north of the [[Arctic Circle]].<ref name="overview">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/vignettes/Terrestrial/na/default.cfm |title=Far North |work=Southern Arctic Ecozone |publisher=Environment Canada |accessdate=2008-02-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212214247/http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/vignettes/Terrestrial/na/default.cfm |archivedate=December 12, 2006 }}</ref>
==Geography== [[Palaeozoic]] and [[Mesozoic]] [[sedimentary rock]] forms the western portion of the ecozone, whereas [[Precambrian]] [[granite]] is the dominant feature in the east.<ref name="bernhardt">{{Cite web |url=http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/ecozones/northernarctic/northernarctic.htm |title=Northern Arctic |work=Canada's Ecozones, Canadian Biodiversity project |last=Bernhardt |first=Torsten |publisher=[[McGill University]], Redpath Museum |accessdate=2008-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216191301/http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/ecozones/northernarctic/northernarctic.htm |archive-date=2008-02-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Broad flat plains are common on the coastlines, and extend inland up to {{convert|10|km|mi|0}} in some parts.<ref name="landforms">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/vignettes/Terrestrial/na/land.cfm |title=Landforms and Climate of the Northern Arctic Ecozone |work=Southern Arctic Ecozone |publisher=Environment Canada |accessdate=2008-02-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040703050201/http://www.ec.gc.ca/soer-ree/English/vignettes/Terrestrial/na/land.cfm |archivedate=July 3, 2004 }}</ref> In the east, plateaus and rocky hills merge into the foothills of the [[Arctic Cordillera]].<ref name="bernhardt" /> The west is characterised by glacial deposits and "frost-shattered limestone"<ref name="landforms" /> and sandstone.
A permanent layer of [[permafrost]] may be up to one kilometre thick, and lies under a shallow stratum of waterlogged active soils that cyclically freeze and thaw, creating [[patterned ground]].<ref name="landforms" /> Its features are similar to the [[badland]]s found in the southwestern [[United States]].
===Ecoprovinces=== This ecozone can be further subdivided into seven ecoprovinces:<ref>{{Cite web|last=Secretariat|first=Treasury Board of Canada|title=National Ecological Framework for Canada - Open Government Portal|url=https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/3ef8e8a9-8d05-4fea-a8bf-7f5023d2b6e1|access-date=2020-11-07|website=open.canada.ca}}</ref> *[[Baffin Uplands]] *[[Boothia-Foxe Shield]] *[[Ellesmere Basin]] *[[Foxe-Boothia Lowlands]] *[[Parry Channel Plateau]] *[[Sverdrup Island]] *[[Victoria Lowlands]]
==Climate== The region is extremely cold, with temperatures rising above the [[freezing point]] only in July and August. Short, cold summers give way to bitterly cold, dark winters with mean January temperatures less than −30 °C in the northern islands.<ref name="landforms" /> Little [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] falls here, with a typical annual total of 250 mm, but may exceed 500 mm in its extreme southeastern extent. [[Snow]]fall may occur at any time, and snow cover persists from September to June.<ref name="landforms" />
Despite the low precipitation, the permafrost's ability to prevent water from draining through the soil, and the abundant snow and ice cover throughout the zone ensure that the climate is usually moist.<ref name="landforms" />
The northern waters are permanently frozen, but coastal areas in the south may open in the summer, though numerous large [[sea ice|ice floes]] persist.<ref name="bernhardt" />
==Conservation== A number of [[protected area]]s have been established to protect representative and/or significant portions of this ecozone. These include [[Aulavik National Park]], [[Auyuittuq National Park]], [[Sirmilik National Park]], [[Qausuittuq National Park]], [[Quttinirpaaq National Park]], and [[Ukkusiksalik National Park]].
==References== {{Reflist}}
[[Category:Ecozones and ecoregions of Nunavut]] [[Category:Ecozones and ecoregions of the Northwest Territories]] [[Category:Ecozones and ecoregions of Quebec]] [[Category:Geography of the Arctic]]