E-Cold Climates
In Köppen’s classification, the cold climates are marked with the letter E. These are the regions near the poles—beyond the reach of warm currents, monsoon winds, or temperate cyclones. Here, the controlling factor is extreme cold.
Now, within cold climates, we study two main types:
- Tundra Climate (ET)
- Polar Ice Cap Climate (EF)
Let’s look at them one by one
Tundra Climate (ET) – The Margins of Survival
Distribution
- Found north of the Arctic Circle (Canada, Alaska, Greenland coasts, Arctic Russia).
- Also present south of the Antarctic Circle (coastal Antarctica).
- Think of this as the coastal margins of the polar regions. The interiors of Greenland and Antarctica are too harsh and are covered with permanent icecaps.
Climate
Temperature
- Mean annual temperatures are extremely low.
- Winters: –40 °C to –50 °C.
- Summers: Short and barely above freezing (only 3–4 months).
- Phenomena:
- Continuous darkness in winter (polar night).
- Continuous daylight in summer (midnight sun).
- Blizzards common, with winds up to 130 miles/hour.
- Ground is frozen most of the year (permafrost).
Precipitation
- Very low and mostly as snow/sleet.
- Convectional rainfall is absent → air too cold to rise.
Natural Vegetation
- Trees cannot grow. Only lowest forms of vegetation survive.
- Examples: Mosses, lichens, hardy grasses, reindeer moss.
- In the brief summer → small berry bushes and Arctic flowers bloom.
- Insects swarm in summer → attracts migratory birds.
👉 Basically, life survives here on the edge of possibility.
Wildlife
- Mammals: Reindeer, Musk-ox, Arctic hare, wolves, lemmings, foxes.
- Birds: Migratory birds in summer.
- Antarctica: Penguins (found only here, not in Arctic).
Human Activities
- Sparse population, mainly on coasts.
- Indigenous people: Eskimos (Inuit) of Greenland, Canada, Alaska.
- Semi-nomadic lifestyle.
- Winter homes: Igloos (ice houses).
- Economy: Hunting and fishing → seals, walruses, polar bears, fish.
Recent Developments
- With modern technology, humans are now tapping into Arctic resources:
- Alaska → Gold, Petroleum (Kenai Peninsula).
- Canada → Copper (Rankin Inlet), Iron ore (Labrador).
- Sweden (Kiruna, Gallivare) → Rich iron ore mines → basis of Scandinavian steel industry.
- Russia (Siberia) → Timber and fur exports, aided by Arctic ports & icebreakers.
- Railways & ports built to transport minerals (e.g., Labrador iron ore → St. Lawrence River).
👉 The Arctic, once a “dead land”, is slowly becoming an economic frontier due to mineral wealth.
Polar Ice Cap Climate (EF) – The Frozen Desert
Distribution
- Found in Greenland interiors, Antarctica, northernmost Canada & Russia, and Svalbard (Norway).
- These are the true “white deserts” of Earth.
Climate
- Coldest climate on Earth.
- No month has temperature above 0 °C.
- Ground is permanently covered with ice sheets (Antarctica ice sheet is 3,000 m thick).
- No vegetation can grow here.
Key Difference: Tundra vs Ice Cap
- Tundra Climate (ET) → Has a short summer (3–4 months above freezing). This melts the snow cover temporarily, allowing mosses & lichens to grow.
- Polar Ice Cap Climate (EF) → No summer at all (never above 0 °C). Hence permanent ice sheets, no vegetation.
“Tundra is the land of the ‘almost dead’ — a brief summer brings a short burst of life with moss, lichens, insects, and migratory birds. But the Ice Cap is the land of the ‘completely dead’ — where ice rules eternally, and not even moss dares to grow.”
