Regions with a polar climate are characterized by a lack of warm summers (specifically, no month having an average temperature of 10°C or higher), resulting in the absence of trees in such places, which may also be covered with glaciers or a permanent or semi_permanent layer of ice.
There are two distinct subtypes of polar climate. The less severe of the two is the tundra climate, where at least one month has an average temperature of above freezing, while the colder one — known by various names including the ice cap climate and the perpetual frost climate — features sub-freezing average temperatures year-round.
The only continent where the polar climate is predominant is Antarctica. All but a few isolated coastal areas on the island of Greenland also have a polar climate.
The Arctic is mostly a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by tree-less, frozen ground, that teems with life, including organisms living in the ice, fish and marine mammals, birds, land animals and human societies.
The Arctic region is one of the last and most extensive continuous wilderness areas in the world and its significance in preserving biodiversity and genotypes is considerable.
The Arctic is particularly susceptible to the abrasion of groundcover and to the disturbance of the rare reproduction places of the animals that are characteristic to the region.
The arcticclimate is characterized by high spatial variability, and includes both polar maritime (influenced by the ocean) and continental (influenced by large land masses) climate subtypes.
The main constant is that the climate in all arctic areas is affected by the extreme solar radiation conditions of high latitudes.
In many arctic and subarctic regions, the weather is controlled by semipermanent low pressure systems that are weakly developed in summer, but stronger in winter.
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