Abstract
The Arctic is now a familiar sight to many people who have looked down during flights over intercontinental arctic routes on uninhabited regions and have gained an impression of the vast extent of their frozen surface. As a matter of fact the two frigid zones within the Arctic and Antarctic Circles comprise the smallest areas of the earth’s climatic zones. Vague recognition of their small extent impelled explorers in the 16th through 19th centuries to sail eastward and westward from Europe in search of usable short arctic sea routes toward sources of the luxury goods of China. During the 20th century transarctic air routes have been established between America and Europe with attendant networks of communication to assure information about weather and navigation. Transport by sea has been established along the long coasts of arctic Asia and is under preparation over the shorter but more complex ice-filled sea routes north of America. These routes circumnavigate the Arctic Ocean, which forms a polar basin with bordering Eurasian and American coasts and with large islands projected northward from each continent.
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Irving, L. (1972). Environment of Arctic Life. In: Arctic Life of Birds and Mammals. Zoophysiology and Ecology, vol 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-85655-6_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-85655-6_2
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