Global warming will lead to an increase in the frequency of unusual weather events in the Arctic.
Periods of inclement weather, such as freezing rain in the spring and fall and deep snow in the winter, are occurring more frequently in the far north. These events are often associated with large caribou die-offs, and are implicated in the decline of the Banks Island herd of Peary caribou.
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In spite of its remoteness, the Arctic is in the frontline for global warming impacts. Some of the earth's last great wilderness areas are located in this pristine region as yet mostly untouched by human development. Here, nature reigns supreme and wildlife spectacles are on a scale that rivals anything else on the planet. Individual herds of caribou number in the hundreds of thousands. The caribou porcupine herd of northeastern Alaska and the Yukon Territory follows the longest migration route of any terrestrial animal, moving hundreds of kilometers from its sheltered wintering grounds in the Brooks, Ogilvie, and Richardson Mountains to its summer range on the northern coastal plain. Many of the world's most distinctive mammals are found only in the Arctic, including walruses, several species of seals, arctic foxes, collared lemmings, arctic and tundra hares, muskoxen, polar bears, narwhals, and bowhead whales. All show unique characteristics that help them live in the Arctic's extreme climate.
From a global perspective, the Arctic region is perhaps most important to migratory birds. An estimated 15% of all of the world's species are Arctic specialists during the breeding season. Many species capitalize on the brief pulse of plant and insect productivity during the short Arctic summer to raise their broods. Coastal areas-for example, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska-are highly important breeding grounds for several migratory species. In Canada, the Queen Maud Gulf Bird Sanctuary in the central Arctic is home to more than two million geese, including snow geese, Ross' geese, white-fronted geese, and Canada geese.
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