Arctic Cruises, enjoy an Expedition Cruise with Tucan Travel

The Facts Official Name: Arctic, Arctic Ocean or Arctic Circle Government: No country owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean surrounding it. The surrounding Arctic states of Canada, Greenland (Denmark), Russia, the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland  are limited to a 370 kilometre (200 nautical mile) economic zone around their coasts. Population: The Arctic is only sparsely populated with approximately 100,000 Inuit, 80,000 Saami and about 400,000 members of Siberian peoples. Total Area: About 14,056,000 sq km Time Difference: GMT -4 to -9 hours Peak Season: July to August

About the Arctic
The region known as the Arctic can be defined in several different ways - geography, political boundaries and ecology.

The Arctic is primarily a thick floe of ice sitting on top of the Arctic Ocean around the North Pole, surrounded by land and islands. There is no land under the ice, which is always moving and can crack open at any time. The sea ice is an average of 3 metres thick, although the prevailing currents cause drifting which, in turn, create pressure ridges up to 3 times that size.

The Arctic region includes the Arctic Ocean (which passes through the North Pole) and parts of Canada, Greenland (Denmark), Russia, the United States (Alaska), Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

The region is also defined as being the area inside the Arctic Circle, an imaginary line which encircles the earth at latitude 66° 33’N which marks the limit of midnight sun (24-hour sunlit day) and the polar night (24-hour sunless night). Periods of continuous daylight or night last up to six months at the North Pole.

The Arctic region can also be defined as the area north of the treeline (the northern limit of upright tree growth) and locations in high latitudes where the average daily summer temperature does not rise above 10 °C.

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When to Visit the Arctic
The Arctic summer season between May and September is the best time of year to explore the spectacular scenery with its fascinating flora and fauna, including polar bears, walruses and myriads of seabirds.

Late May and early June (spring) Expedition Cruises give you a good chance to see polar bears and caribou (reindeer) migrating to their summer habitat. The warmest weather occurs in July, but mosquitoes also come out in full force during this period. Look out for musk oxen, Arctic foxes, walruses, and several types of seals during the summer months. From August you have the best chance of seeing the spectacular Aurora Borealis in clear night skies.Late summer and autumn is prime viewing time for humpback whales (Greenland), while caribou can be seen in great numbers in autumn during their migration. See below for more information about Arctic flora and fauna.

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Arctic Flora and Fauna

Arctic Animals
Three different continents, namely North America, Europe and Asia, extend into the Arctic. This has allowed a broad distribution of different mammal and bird species.

Arctic animals have special adaptations to cope with the harsh weather conditions and tough landscapes. Thicker layers of fat, fur or long hair protect them from the cold, while white camouflage helps to evade detection. For example, rabbits and baby seals are white so that predators struggle to find them in the snow, but predators such as polar bears and Arctic foxes are also white to avoid detection by their prey. Many animals have also adapted wider feet to distribute their weight across the soft snow, and hairs on the soles of their feet for grip on slippery ice surfaces. During your Arctic Expedition Cruise, skilled naturalist guides will be able to teach you more about the natural history of the Arctic, including the local flora and fauna and their special adaptations.

The most important habitats in the Arctic are by the sea. Even the king of the Arctic, the polar bear, is described as a marine animal since it hunts seals from the ice floes. There is an immensely rich variety of seabirds, including guillemots, auks, terns, divers and ducks. Apart from the polar bear, the most frequently encountered land mammals are the reindeer or caribou, musk ox, Arctic fox and Arctic hare. Marine mammals include seals and the walrus. Fur seals occur in the Bering Strait area.

Plant Life
On the warmer fringes of the ocean there are treeless areas called tundra, plains which are free of ice and snow during the summer. Over 800 species of flowering plant flourish in the Arctic. Arctic plants have to be very small to survive. There are no trees or large plants in the tundra because they are unable to withstand the sharp ice crystals in the wind, or survive the deep ice in the soil, known as permafrost.

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Here is a sample of some of the wildlife that you may encounter during Arctic Expedition Cruises:

	Polar bear: During their prime feeding months polar bears can be elusive and are rarely seen, but they may be viewed in Svalbard/Spitsbergen during spring and summer.
	Caribou: Otherwise known as reindeer, domesticated caribou can be found throughout the Arctic and are very common in northern Russia, Scandinavia and Svalbard in spring and autumn months.
	Walrus: Haul outs for walrus can be seen along the coasts of western Greenland, eastern Greenland, Svalbard, northern Scandinavia and western Russia, and bordering the Laptev, Chukchi, and Bering Seas.
	Musk ox: These brown, hairy beasts can be found year-round in Greenland.
	Bowhead whale: May be seen in the far north Atlantic Ocean between Svalbard and Greenland.
	Humpback whale: Off the coast of southern Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, northern Scandinavia, Bering Sea in late August and September.
	Orca: Can be seen in west Greenland, northern Scandinavia, Svalbard, and eastern Russia, as well as the Bering Sea, Baffin Bay, Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea.
	Beluga: May be seen off the coast of west Greenland, Svalbard, northern Russia and the Bering Sea.
	Narwhal: May be seen near eastern Greenland, Svalbard, and the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Russia.
	Arctic fox: Common to the Arctic region
	Little auks: Common to the Arctic region

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Arctic Weather and Climate
The climate of the Arctic is generally characterised by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. The central Arctic Ocean is ice-covered year-round, and snow and ice are present on land for most of the year.

Average January temperatures range from about −40 to 0 °C (−40 to +32 °F), and winter temperatures can drop below −50 °C (−58 °F) over large parts of the Arctic. Icy winds blow snow around during this time, giving the impression of endless snowfall.  Average July temperatures range from about −10 to +10 °C (14 to 50 °F), with some land areas occasionally exceeding 30 °C (86 °F) in summer.

The climate of coastal Arctic areas is strongly influenced by ocean temperatures. Generally these areas have warmer temperatures and heavier precipitation than the colder and drier interior land regions. In winter, the relatively warm ocean water, which can never be colder than −2 °C (28 °F), keeps the North Pole from being the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere.

Maritime climate conditions also dominate the Arctic Ocean, coastal Alaska, Iceland, northern Norway and adjoining parts of Russia, so these areas are considered relatively mild. Winters in these areas are cold and stormy. Summers are cloudy but mild with mean temperatures about 10 °C. Annual precipitation is generally between 60 cm and 125 cm with most of the cool season precipitation falling as snow, which covers the region for about 6 months of the year.

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Aurora Borealis / Northern Lights
The auroral light of the northern polar region is a remarkable phenomenon. In the clear polar night during the summer months of August through November, spectacular arcs, curtains and luminous clusters move across the sky. These effects are created when streams of solar particles penetrate the Earth’s ionosphere and collide with molecules of the upper atmosphere. The Earth’s magnetic field attracts the particles down to the magnetic poles and concentrates them in an oval band. Both the location of the ovals and the form of the aurora are governed by the intensity of solar activity. The Northern Lights have always held great significance for the myths and traditions of Arctic inhabitants.

Information courtesy of Oceanwide Expeditions.
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About Arctic Expedition Cruises
If you enjoy activities like hiking, kayaking, zodiac cruises, learning about ecology, choose an Arctic Expedition Cruise on purpose-built or specially adapted adventure vessel. Choose an ice-breaker expedition if you want to reach the North Pole. Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time at your port city before your cruise departs in case of unexpected delays – and give yourself time to explore and acclimatise. Don't hesitate to contact Tucan Travel for pre and post cruise accommodation options if you'd like to have more time.

Visit our ship comparison page to compare vessel specifications

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Arctic vs Antarctica Expedition Cruises
It can be difficult to choose between the Arctic and Antarctic Expedition cruises because they offer such diverse experiences. Each polar region features unique wildlife that cannot be found anywhere else. In terms of human culture, the Arctic has been inhabited by various cultures over the millennia, but Antarctica has never been settled, with the exception of scientific bases. And the good news for travellers is each polar region has its own cruise season in different times of the year, so it’s possible to find Expedition Cruises with departure dates to suit your holiday plans.