The polar zone refers to the regions in the far north and south of the globe, namely the Arctic and Antarctic. The polar regions are characterised by long, very cold winters with permanently glaciated regions, ice deserts and permafrost soils with several months of prolonged darkness.
With average annual temperatures of -17° C, all vegetation consists only of lichens, mosses, grasses and the occasional flowering plant or fungus. The growing period often lasts less than 30 days due to the extreme conditions of light (polar day with almost continuous daylight and polar night in almost complete darkness), warmth and humidity.1)
While only two wild mammal species, namely whales and seals, live in the Antarctic alongside penguins, bird species such as albatrosses and petrels, fish, crustaceans, krill, squid, etc.2), there are 75 different mammal species in the Arctic alone. Polar bears, walruses, Arctic foxes, arctic hares, stoats, lemmings, reindeer, musk oxen, but also seals, birds, fish and many more live there on, above or below the ice. Algae and other microorganisms living in the water form the beginning of the food chain, with humans at the top.3)
Of the estimated 4 million inhabitants of the Arctic today, around 12.5% belong to indigenous peoples. For the Sámi people in northern Sweden, traditional reindeer husbandry is still an important basis for their independence today. However, modern snowmobiles mean that this is less characterised by the original nomadic lifestyle.3)
We would like to find out for ourselves whether and to what extent traditional methods of food production are still used in practice in some regions.
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Our next blog post will cover the basics of the subpolar zone:
References:
1) Cf. Wikipedia, 2024: Polargebiet, taken from the Internet on 28.03.2024, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polargebiet
2) Cf. Wikipedia, 2024: Antarktische Fauna, taken from the Internet on 28.03.2024, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarktische_Fauna
3) Cf. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, 2024: Wer lebt in der Arktis?, 2nd Arctic Science Ministerial, taken from the Internet on 28.03.2024, https://www.arcticscienceministerial.org/arctic/de/forschung/wer-lebt-in-der-arktis/wer-lebt-in-der-arktis.html