The boundary of the arctic and principles of delimitation

Abstract

Abstract After a historial review of various attempts to define the limits of the Arctic on the basis of individual climatic parameters, the author recommends the southern limit of the tundra zone. It is argued that purely meteorological characteristics are unsatisfactory for Arctic regionalization because of the widely spaced network of observation stations and the smooth changes in parameters from place to place. An ecological limit such as the southern tundra boundary, on the other hand, represents an integration of a whole set of parameters and incorporates more climatic information than the isopleth of any meteorological element taken by itself. Although there is a real need for applying similar regionalization principles in land and oceanic areas, the relationship between climate‐forming factors and marine environments has not been adequately studied. For the purpose of the present paper, the boundaries of the Arctic in oceans are defined by the extent of intrusion of Arctic waters into the North At...