Living organisms living in the Arctic have a hard time. A very cold climate, eternal ice, snow and polar night for 5–6 months of the year are the main signs of a harsh situation in the polar and subarctic zone. The organic world of the Arctic Ocean was formed in these most difficult conditions. In many respects, the ecosystem of high latitudes differs from the temperate and tropical regions of the World Ocean (MO). Let's highlight and briefly describe these features.
The harsh environment of the Arctic
Snow and frost dominate the Arctic Circle, the organic world adapts to these features of nature. A significant part of the Arctic region of our planet is occupied by cold expanses of water, chained in ice. In different countries, the following toponyms are used: the Arctic, the Polar or the Arctic Ocean. Summers in high latitudes are short and cool, winters are severe and long. Precipitation falls in the form of snow, and their total amount is small - only about 200 ml.
The organic world of the Arctic Ocean is living creatures that inhabit the bottom, coast and numerous islands of the Arctic seas. Many animals and some small plants have adapted to the low temperatures on snow and ice. What do these hardy inhabitants of such a harsh land look like? Birds and mammals living in high latitudes are usually white.
Organic world of the Arctic Ocean (briefly)
All the diversity of life at the bottom is represented by benthos. These are algae, mollusks, coelenterates, attached to the substrate of the shelf and the continental slope, crawling crustaceans. Algae are dominated by kelp and fucus. The flowering plant Zostera is found in the White Sea. Bottom animals are mainly invertebrates (worms, sponges, sea anemones and stars, bivalves, crabs). They can withstand the harsh conditions of the cold and dark sea depths.
Of almost 200 species of phytoplankton, most belong to diatoms. Sparse flora on the coast and numerous archipelagos is represented by gymnosperms, flowering and lichens. Food chains include zooplankton, marine invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals. The last two groups inhabit mainly the coast and islands, food for themselves is more often found in ice-free water. The feathered world of the Arctic is characterized by a richness of species, and noisy "bird colonies" diversify the organic world of the Arcticocean.
List of Arctic animals
Invertebrates: cyanide jellyfish, ophiura "Gorgon's head", mussels, crustaceans. Among fish, the Greenland polar shark stands out in large sizes. Other representatives of the ichthyofauna: salmon, herring, cod, perch, flatfish (including halibut). Birds: ptarmigan, murre, snowy owl, tern, bald eagle.
Mammals:
- toothed whales (beluga whale, killer whale, narwhal);
- seals (harphead, striped, ringed seal, hooded seal);
- walruses,
- white or polar bear;
- reindeer (caribou),
- arctic wolf;
- musk ox;
- arctic hare;
- lemming.
Adaptations of plants and animals of the Arctic
The organic world of the Arctic Ocean in terms of phytoplankton diversity is almost as good as the northern regions of the Atlantic and the Pacific basin. Interestingly, some microscopic algae retain the ability to photosynthesize even on ice floes. As a result, the white surface is covered with a greenish-brown film, and the ice melts faster. Moderately cold waters are rich in dissolved oxygen and nitrogen; when the heavy top layer sinks, microelements necessary for phytoplankton rise from the depth. These features create favorable conditions for the rapid development of microscopic organisms.
A kind of emblem, a symbol by which the organic world of the Arctic Ocean is recognized, is a polar bear. This isone of the largest land predators; the body of an adult male reaches a length of 2-3 meters. It feeds mainly on seals and fish. The polar bear and other animals of the Arctic have the ability to lower their metabolism at low temperatures. They grow more slowly, but can reach enormous sizes and advanced age. Thus, the tropical sea urchin rarely lives 10 years, the polar species can exist for more than 60 years.
Climatic conditions are slightly milder in the seas of the European Arctic, so the flora and fauna are richer here. The most populated is the shallow continental shelf. But in general, the plant and organic world is poor in species. Among the main reasons are the harsh climatic conditions, the lack of sunlight and heat for plants, the lack of food for animals.
A brief note about the Arctic Ocean
The smallest and coldest part of the World Ocean occupies only 4% of its total area. The Arctic Ocean lies almost in the center of the Arctic. The boundary of the region is a conditional line - the Arctic Circle (parallel 66 ° N). The Arctic includes not only expanses of water, but also islands, coasts of the continents. The rivers of the Arctic Ocean are among the most full-flowing on Earth. They flow into the Arctic seas: Yenisei, Lena, Ob, Pechora, Yana, Kolyma, Indigirka. The narrow Bering Strait separates the polar waters from the Pacific. The border with the Atlantic runs along the Scandinavian Peninsula and south of the island of Greenland. The geographic North Pole is located in the Arctic.
