Glossary

Encompasses all the ways in which ice mass is lost from the surface of a glacier or ice sheet, such as melting at the surface or the base …

Arctic Council, a high level forum of Arctic nations (Canada, Finland, Denmark/Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States). Also includes indigenous peoples representatives.Arctic …

Arctic Contaminants Action Program. One of the working groups of the Arctic Council, formally established in 2006. The goal of ACAP is to reduce emissions …

Encompasses all the ways in which a body of ice (a glacier or ice sheet) gains mass at its surface, such as snowfall and rime …

Arctic Climate Impact Assessment. A collaborative project of the Arctic Council and IASC. Started in 2000, the aim is to gather and assess knowledge about climate variability, climate change and increased …

The layer of ground above permafrost that is subject to annual thawing and freezing.

In ecology, adaptation is the process by which a species acquires certain traits that improve survival in a particular environment.

The ‘whiteness’ of a surface. The higher the albedo, the more the surface reflects light. Snow and ice have high albedos; a dark rock would …

Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. One of the working groups of the Arctic Council. Established in 1991. AMAP is responsible for measuring the levels of …

Caused by, or due to, human activities. For example, anthropogenic climate change.Caused by, or due to, human activities. For example, anthropogenic climate change.

Arctic Ocean Sciences Board.

Association of Polar Early Career Scientists.

The study of past human activity, mainly through studying artefacts and structures left behind, and by revealing other evidence of past activities. The first systematic …

Definitions of the Arctic vary according to environmental, geographical, political, cultural and scientific perspectives. Some scientists define the Arctic as areas having a high latitude, …

A line of latitude currently at 66° 33? 44? (66.5622°) north of the Equator. It is the southern limit of the region of the Earth …

Layers of brownish haze visible above the horizon, particularly in the Arctic spring. Caused by pollution originating from outside the Arctic. The haze consists of …

A glow in the night sky, most commonly visible at high latitudes. Sometimes appearing as shafts or curtains of coloured light. The aurora is caused …

Biological diversity. The many and varied forms of life on Earth (collectively known as biota). As well as diversity of species (species diversity), there is also …

Biogeochemical cycles are pathways that chemicals take as they move between living organisms and environment. Some well-defined biogeochemical cycles include the water cycle, the carbon …

The study of the cycling of chemicals between organisms and the surface environment of the Earth. The Earth’s surface environment is generally divided into four: …

The study of life and living organisms (from the Greek word ‘bios’ meaning life).

In simple terms, this word is a collective term for all living things. To refer only to animals, we use the word fauna, and for plants, flora. …

Northern, from Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind.

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna. One of the working groups of the Arctic Council. Established in 1992. Its main role is to advise governments on …

Describes how carbon moves around the environment. It is an example of a biogeochemical cycle. See also carbon flux. In recent years the carbon cycle has been …

A gas (chemical formula CO2), which occurs naturally in the Earth’s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is given off by organisms when they respire, and it is absorbed …

In the carbon cycle, the transfer of carbon from one ‘pool’ to another. Scientists try to work out the rate of flux, i.e. how much carbon …

Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Project. An initiative of CAFF, started in 2000.

The study of matter at the atomic and molecular scale.

Around or encircling the Arctic, as in the environmental and/or administrative regions that surround the Arctic.

The average weather we would expect over a long period of time (seasons, years, decades). Climate varies from place-to-place across the Earth. Climate is determined …

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, climate change is change in the climate of the whole Earth or a region of …

A change in the climate which has an effect that then causes further climatic change. There can be both negative and positive feedbacks. A negative …

The Arctic is often defined based on climate, for example, the area where the average temperature for the warmest month is below 10°C (50ºF).

Changes in climate that are driven solely by natural processes such as variation in the Earth’s orbit, the sun’s energy output, volcanic activity and meteorite …

Cone-bearing, as in coniferous trees such as pines and firs.

A crack or fissure in a glacier or or ice sheet* (Note that a crevice is a fissure in rock).

Places on earth where water is in its solid form, frozen into ice or snow. This includes polar regions but also high altitude areas (high …

A ridge formed by gently tilted sedimentary rock strata. From Spanish for “slope”.

The practice of working out the age of wooden structures by studying and counting tree rings. When a tree grows, it puts on new growth …

Also known as geoscience. A collective term for the sciences related to the planet Earth.

The study of living organisms in their environment, including where they are found and how they interact with their physical environment and with each other, …

All the living organisms (including people) in an area as well as its physical environment, functioning together as a unit. An ecosystem is made up …

A benefit provided by an ecosystem that humans enjoy, such as clean water, healthy soils or prevention of erosion. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment identified the following groups of ecosystem …

The study of the environment and the solution of environmental problems.

Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response. One of the working groups of the Arctic Council. The goal of the EPPR Working Group is to contribute to the …

The animals that live in a particular region, habitat or time (such as geological period like the jurassic). For plants, we use the term flora, and …

The plants that live in a particular region, habitat or time (such as geological period like the jurassic). For animals, we use the term fauna, and …

A food web is a description of feeding connections in an ecological community (i.e. a group of organisms). Put simply, food webs describe what ‘eats’ …

The study of the Earth, such as places, landforms, people and processes by which the Earth changes over time. Geography is divided into two main …

The study of the solid Earth, rocks and processes by which rocks form. ‘Geo’ is derived from the Greek word for Earth.

A glacier is a large, persistent body of land-based ice that forms over many years where the accumulation of snow is greater than its loss …

The study of glaciers.

The enhanced greenhouse effect due to human activity and the resulting widely accepted rising average temperature near the surface of the Earth since the late …

A gas found in the earth’s atmosphere that traps heat radiated from the surface of the earth, and causes the earth’s temperature to rise. The …

A type of shrubland habitat mainly consisting of low growing, woody plants (shrubs). Heaths occur on acidic soils and in dry conditions and are common …

The study of water in the environment, particularly its amount, movement and quality. It encompasses water in rivers, lakes, glaciers, soil and underground aquifers. The way …

International Arctic Science Committee, a non-governmental organisation whose aim is to encourage and aid cooperation in Arctic research.

Second International Conference on Arctic Research Planning.

A mass of glacial land ice extending more than 50,000 square kilometers (20,000 square miles). The two ice sheets on Earth today cover most of …

Belonging to a certain place. Indigenous people are distinct ethnic groups that have historic connections to people who lived in a territory prior to the …

Living organisms consisting of two organisms, a fungus (a mycobiont) and a photobiont, living together in a body called a thallus. The photobiont can use …

The difference between the amount of ice a glacier gains in winter and the amount lost in summer. A glacier which is gaining mass has a positive …

The water released from melting snow or ice, such as in a glacier. For many people it is their main source of water.

The scientific study of the atmosphere and its phenomena, especially in relation to weather and weather forecasting.

A colourless, odourless gas (chemical formula CH4). Some microbesproduce methane. It can also be found in underground deposits. Methane is the main component of natural gas, …

A microscopic living organism. Microbes include bacteria fungi, protozoa and viruses. In Arctic environments, most microbes are found in soils and aquatic environments (both fresh and saltwater). …

The study of fungi. Fungi are fundamental for life on earth, and important in all environments, including in the Arctic. Many fungi live in close association …

(Also spelled ‘paleo-‘). Prefix meaning ‘early’, ‘ancient’ or ‘prehistoric’. Used in terms such as palaeobotany, which is the study of past plant life, and palaeoclimatology, …

A type of mire (or boggy wetland) complex found in boreal and alpine regions. Palsas are peat mounds, sometimes containing permafrost. The palsas are usually 2-4 metres high, palsas up …

Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment. One of the working groups of the Arctic Council. It is the focal point of the Arctic Council’s activities related …

Peat is a soil type formed from slowly decomposing vegetation. It is found in wet areas where the lack of oxygen slows the breakdown of …

Permafrost is frozen ground that remains at or below zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) for two or more years. It forms in regions where …

The study of the timing of recurring natural events such as bud opening, egg laying or the arrival of a migratory animal. Many living organisms …

A chemical process that takes place in living cells, by which some living organisms (such as green plants and algae) convert energy in sunlight into …

A frost mound, consisting of an ice core covered with soil and vegetation. They are found in permafrost regions. They are formed when water is naturally injected …

A chemical process that takes place in living cells, by which living organisms use organic compounds to create energy. One of the bi-products of respiration …

The area immediately south of the Arctic circle. Generally, subarctic regions fall between 50°N and 70°N latitude, depending on local climate. In other words, the subarctic …

Sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most frequently quoted definition is from a report called Our Common Future, also known as the …

“Snow, Water, Ice, Permafrost in the Arctic” an assessment carried out by AMAP. The third AMAP assessment addressing Arctic climate issues.

Boreal forest, a nearly continuous belt of coniferous trees across North America and Eurasia. Taiga is dense forest with many fallen trees and marshy soil. The term derives …

A landform that results when ground ice (ice-rich permafrost) melts. The melting leaves small, marshy hollows and hummocks in the land as the ground settles unevenly. …

A (usually shallow) body of water found in a depression within a thermokarst landform. The water is from thawed permafrost. If the permafrost continues to thaw the lake …

A type of ecosystem in which tree growth is limited by low temperatures. The origin of the word is from from the Kildin Sami word t?ndâr, meaning “uplands” or “treeless …