Regions having a subarctic climate (also called boreal climate) are characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and brief, warm summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N. Due to the absence of any large landmasses at such latitudes, it is not found in the Southern Hemisphere. These climates represent Koppen climate classification Dfc, Dwc, Dfd and Dwd. Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter phi, , gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the equator. ... southern hemisphere highlighted in yellow (Antarctica not depicted). ... The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. ...

This type of climate offers some of the most extreme seasonal temperature variations found on the planet: In winter, temperatures can drop to −40°C (also −40°F) and in summer, the temperature may exceed 30°C (86°F). However, the summers are short; no more than three months of the year (but at least one month) and must have a 24-hour average temperature of at least 10°C (50°F) to fall into this category of climate. The subarctic climate is a subset of the continental climate. The subarctic climate is found in the following areas: A continental climate is the climate typical of the middle-latitude interiors of the large continents of the Northern Hemisphere in the zone of westerly winds; similar climates exist along the east coasts and southwest coasts of the same continents, and also at higher elevations in certain other parts of...

• Much of Siberia
• The northern half of Scandinavia (milder winters in coastal areas)
• Most of Alaska
• Much of Canada from about 50°N to the tree line, including:
  • Southern Labrador
  • Northern Quebec except for the far north
  • Far northern Ontario
  • The northern Prairie Provinces
  • Most of the Yukon
  • Most of the Northwest Territories
  • Part of Upper Doughnut Island, in UPO.

With 5-7 consecutive months where the average temperature is below freezing, all moisture in the soil and subsoil freezes solidly to depths of many feet. Summer warmth is insufficient to thaw more than a few surface feet, so permafrost prevails under large areas. Seasonal thaw penetrates from 2 to 14 ft (0.6 to 4 m), depending on latitude, aspect, and type of ground.^[1] Some northern areas with subarctic climates located near oceans (southern Alaska and the northern fringe of Europe), have milder winters and no permafrost, and are thus more suited for farming. It has been suggested that Western Siberia be merged into this article or section. ... Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centered on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe and includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. ... Official language(s) none Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ... In this view of an alpine tree-line, the distant line looks particularly sharp. ... Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. ... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Official languages French Government - Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault - Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 75 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area Ranked 2nd - Total 1,542,056 km² - Water... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area [1] Ranked... The Canadian prairies is a vast area of flat sedimentary land that stretches from Ontario and the Canadian Shield to the Canadian Rockies covering much of the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta - the Prairie Provinces. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Motto: none Capital Yellowknife Largest city Yellowknife Official languages Chipewyan, Cree, English, French, Gwich’in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, North Slavey, South Slavey, TłįchÇ« [1] Government - Commissioner Tony Whitford - Premier Joe Handley (Consensus government (no party affiliations)) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 1 - Senate seats 1 Confederation 1870... Official language(s) none Capital Juneau Largest city Anchorage Area  Ranked 1st  - Total 663,267 sq mi (1,717,855 km²)  - Width 808 miles (1,300 km)  - Length 1,479 miles (2,380 km)  - % water 13. ...

The frost-free season is very short, varying from about 45 to 100 days at most, and a freeze can occur during any month in many areas. Vegetation in a subarctic climate is generally of low diversity, as only hardy species can survive the long winters and make use of the short summers. Trees are mostly limited to ferns and evergreen conifers, as few broadleaved trees are able to survive the very low temperatures in winter. This type of forest is also known as taiga, a term which is sometimes applied to the climate found therein as well. Even though the diversity may be low, numbers are high, and the taiga (boreal) forest is the largest forest biome on the planet, with most of the forests located in Russia and Canada. Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants, and is, by far, the most abundant biotic element of the biosphere. ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

Agricultural potential is generally poor, due to the natural infertility of soils and the prevalence of swamps and lakes left by departing ice sheets, and short growing seasons prohibit all but the hardiest of crops. (Despite the short season, the long summer days at such latitudes do permit some agriculture.) In some areas, ice has scoured rock surfaces bare, entirely stripping off the overburden. Elsewhere rock basins have been formed and stream courses dammed, creating countless lakes. ^[1] An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² (19,305 mile²). The only current ice sheets are Antarctic and Greenland; during the last ice age at Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the Laurentide ice sheet covered much of Canada...

There is very little precipitation, no more than 15 to 20 inches over an entire year and, away from the coasts, occurs mostly in the warmer months. Low precipitation, by the standards of more temperate regions with longer and warmer winters, is typically sufficient in view of the very low evapotranspiration to allow a water-sogged terrain in many areas of subarctic climate. Evapotranspiration (ET) is the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration. ...

Poleward or even approaching polar seas, the warmest month has an average temperature of less than 10°C (50°F), and the subarctic climate grades into a tundra climate even less suitable for trees. In physical geography, tundra is an area where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. ...

Sample locations with such climates^[2]:

• Fairbanks, Alaska
• Whitehorse, Yukon
• Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
• Thompson, Manitoba
• Moosonee, Ontario
• Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Rovaniemi, Finland
• Kiruna, Sweden
• Arkhangelsk, Russia
• Irkutsk, Russia
• Chita, Russia

Sample locations with the extreme Dfd climate include: Fairbanks (IPA: ) is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. ... Motto: Our People, Our Strength Coordinates: Country Canada Territory Yukon County Established 1898 Government  - City Mayor Bev Buckway  - Governing body Whitehorse City Council  - MPs Larry Bagnell  - MLAs Todd Hardy Elaine Taylor Arthur Mitchell Glenn Hart Area  - City 416. ... Motto: Multum In Parvo (Much In Little) Coordinates: Country Canada Territory Northwest Territories Region North Slave Region Established 1936/1937 Government  - City Mayor Gordon Van Tighem  - Governing Body Consensus government  - Legislature List of Yellowknife MPs and MLAs Area  - City 105. ... Location of Thompson within the province of Manitoba. ... Moosonee, Ontario, Canada, is the railhead on James Bay of the Ontario Northland Railway where goods are transferred to barges and aircraft for transport to more northerly communities. ... Happy Valley-Goose Bay (53° 18′07″N, 60° 25′00″W AST) is a town in Labrador of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. ... City Rovaniemi (1960) Administrative Province Province of Lapland Historical Province Lappland Area  - Total  - Land  - Water Ranked 5th (municipalities), and 1st (cities) 8,016 km² 7,601 km² 415 km² Population  - Total (01/2006)  - Density Ranked 13th 58,500 7. ... Kiruna View from just outside Kiruna, with European route E10 left to LuleÃ¥ and right to Narvik, Norway. ... Murmansk, Archangelsk, Dikson, Tiksi, on the Arctic Ocean The city of Arkhangelsk (Арха́нгельск, formerly in English Archangel) lies on the Northern Dvina River (Се́верная Двина́) near... A traditional house in Irkutsk The Yenisei watershed, Lake Baikal, and the cities of Dikson, Dudinka, Turukhansk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk Irkutsk (Ирку́тск), the chief town of the Irkutsk Oblast, is one of the most important places in Siberia, being not only the principal commercial... Chita (Russian: Чита́) is a city in Russia, and functions as the administrative center of Chita Oblast in eastern Siberia. ...

• Oymyakon, Russia
• Verkhoyansk, Russia

Oymyakon in Russia Oymyakon (Russian: ) is a village (selo) in Oymyakonsky Ulus of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located along the Indigirka River. ... Verkhoyansk (Верхоя́нск) a town in Yakutia, north-east Siberia, Russia, on the Yana River, near the Arctic Circle. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.fs.fed.us/colorimagemap/images/130.html
2. ^ http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/climate_systems/subarctic.html