Editing Subarctic (section)

== Climate and soils ==
[[File:Larix laricina.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Subarctic vegetation in Canada ([[Larix laricina]])]]
Subarctic temperatures are above {{convert|10|°C|°F}} for at least one and at most three months of the year. Precipitation tends to be low due to the low moisture content of the cold air but isn't to the point to [[Semi-arid climate|semiarid]] regions. Precipitation is typically greater in warmer months, with a summer maximum ranging from moderate in [[North America]] to extreme in the [[Russian Far East]]. Except in the wettest areas glaciers are not large because of the lack of winter precipitation; in the wettest areas, however, glaciers tend to be very abundant and [[Pleistocene]] [[glaciation]] covered even the lowest elevations. [[Soil]]s of the subarctic are in which leaching of nutrients takes place even in the most heavily glaciated regions. The dominant soil orders are [[podsols]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Podzol {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/plants-and-animals/agriculture-and-horticulture/agriculture-general/podzol#:~:text=Podzols%20are%20subarctic%20soils%20of,tundras%20of%20the%20arctic%20zone. |access-date=2022-03-24 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref> and, further north, [[gelisols]].

Subarctic regions are often characterized by [[taiga]] forest vegetation as [[deciduous]] trees can't withstand the long winters, though where winters are relatively mild, as in [[northern Norway]], [[Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest|broadleaf forest]] may occur—though in some cases soils remain too saturated almost throughout the year to sustain ''any'' [[tree]] growth and the dominant vegetation is a peaty herbland dominated by [[grass]]es and [[sedge]]s. Typically, there are only a few species of large terrestrial [[mammal]]s in the subarctic regions, the most important being elk, [[moose]] (''Alces alces''), [[bear]]s, [[reindeer]] (''Rangifer tarandus''), and [[Wolf|wolves]] (''Canis lupus''). [[Agriculture]] is mainly limited to [[animal husbandry]] as many crops can't be grown here, though in some areas [[barley]] can be grown. [[Canada]] and [[Siberia]] are very rich in minerals, notably [[nickel]], [[molybdenum]], [[cobalt]], [[lead]], [[zinc]] and [[uranium]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Jeffrey |title=NATURAL RESOURCES IN RUSSIA {{!}} Facts and Details |url=https://factsanddetails.com/russia/Economics_Business_Agriculture/sub9_7e/entry-5176.html |access-date=2022-03-24 |website=factsanddetails.com |language=en}}</ref> whilst the [[Grand Banks]] and [[Sea of Okhotsk]] are two of the richest [[Fishery|fisheries]] in the world and provide support for many small towns.

Except for those areas that are well-drained or adjacent to warm [[ocean current]]s, there is almost always continuous [[permafrost]] due to the very cold winters and short summers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pettapiece |first=W. W. |date=1975 |title=Soils of the Subarctic in the Lower Mackenzie Basin |journal=Arctic |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=35–53 |doi=10.14430/arctic2812 |jstor=40509243 |issn=0004-0843|doi-access=free }}</ref> This means that building in most subarctic regions is very difficult and expensive: cities are very few ([[Murmansk]] being the largest) and generally small, whilst [[road]]s are also few. Subarctic rail transport only exists in [[Europe]] (lines to [[Narvik (town)|Narvik]] and Murmansk) and the [[Norilsk]]–[[Dudinka]] line in northern [[Siberia]], as well as the [[Alaska Railroad]] in Alaska and short sections of rail lines in Canada reaching northward into the lower subarctic. An important consequence is that transportation usually tends to be restricted to [[Bush airplane|"bush" planes]], [[helicopter]]s and, in summer, [[riverboat]]s. In areas that receive lower rainfall they tend to be covered by [[grassland]]s.