The Organic World of the Arctic Ocean (briefly)

Living organisms living in the Arctic, it is not easy. A very cold climate, eternal ice, snow and polar night for 5-6 months of the year are the main signs of a harsh environment in the polar and subarctic zone. The organic world of the Arctic Ocean was formed in these most difficult conditions. For many reasons, the ecosystem of high latitudes differs from the temperate and tropical regions of the World Ocean (MO). Let us single out and briefly characterize these features.

Severe natural conditions 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 water expanses, encased in ice. In different countries in the course of the following toponyms: Arctic, Arctic or Arctic Ocean. Summer in the high latitudes is short and cool, the winter is severe and prolonged. Precipitation falls in the form of snow, their total number is small - only about 200 ml.

The organic world of the Arctic Ocean is a living being that inhabits the bottom, coast and numerous islands of the Arctic seas. Many animals and some small plants have adapted to low temperatures on snow and ice. How do these hardy inhabitants of such a harsh land look? Birds and mammals are animals that live in high latitudes, usually white.

The Organic World of the Arctic Ocean (briefly)

All the diversity of life on the bottom is represented by benthos. These are algae, mollusks, coelenterates, attached to the substrate of the shelf and continental slope, crawling crustaceans. Laminaria and fucus predominate from algae. The flower plant of the zoster is found in the White Sea. Bottom animals mainly refer to invertebrates (worms, sponges, sea anemones and stars, bivalve mollusks, crabs). They can withstand the harsh conditions of cold and dark sea depths.

Of the nearly 200 species of phytoplankton, most refer to diatom algae.
Lean flora on the sea shores and numerous archipelagos is represented by gymnosperms, flowering and lichens. Food chains include zooplankton, marine invertebrates, fish, birds, mammals. The last two groups inhabit mainly coast and islands, food for themselves is more often found in ice-free water. The world of feathered Arctic is characterized by a wealth of species, and noisy "bird markets" diversify the organic world of the Arctic Ocean.

List of animals in the Arctic

Invertebrates: jellyfish cyanide, ophiura "head of the Gorgon", mussels, crustaceans.
Among the fish, the Greenland polar shark is prominent in size. Other representatives of the ichthyofauna: salmonids, herrings, cod, percids, flounder (including halibut). Birds: white partridge, guillemot, polar owl, tern, bald eagle.

Mammals:

• Toothed whales (beluga, killer whale, narwhal);
• Seals (Greenlandic, striped, ringed seal, hooded);
• Walruses,
• White or polar bear;
• Reindeer (caribou),
• Arctic wolf;
• Muskox;
• Arctic white fox;
• lemming.

Adaptations of plants and animals of the Arctic

The organic world of the Arctic Ocean on the diversity of phytoplankton is almost inferior to the northern regions of the Atlantic and the Pacific basin. It is interesting that 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, while lowering the heavy upper layer from the depth, the microelements necessary for phytoplankton are raised. These features create favorable conditions for the rapid development of microscopic organisms.

A peculiar emblem, a symbol by which the organic world of the Arctic Ocean is recognized, is a polar bear. It is one of the largest terrestrial predators; The body of an adult male reaches a length of 2-3 meters. It feeds mainly on seals, fish. Polar bear and other Arctic animals have the ability to lower metabolism at low temperatures. They grow more slowly, but they can reach huge sizes and old age. So, the tropical sea urchin rarely lives for 10 years, the polar species can exist for more than 60 years.

Climatic conditions are slightly softer in the seas of the European part of the Arctic, so the flora and fauna here are richer. The most populated is the shallow-water continental shelf. But in general, the plant and organic world is poor in species. Among the main reasons - a severe climate, lack of sunlight and heat for plants, lack of food for animals.

Brief information 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 the conventional line - the Arctic Circle (parallel 66 ° N latitude). The Arctic includes not only water expanses, but also islands, shores of continents. The rivers of the Arctic Ocean are one of the deepest on the 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 waters. The border with the Atlantic passes through the Scandinavian Peninsula and south of the island of Greenland. On the territory of the Arctic is the North Geographic Pole.