Photo of the Day 326

Boreal Forest, Arctic Circle, 2002

Photograph by Peter Essick

Water and sky form a blue canvas for boreal forest in the Arctic Circle. Circling the globe, the boreal forest—its name derived from Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind—comprises one-third of Earth's wooded lands. The forest begins where the temperate woods of oak and maple disappear and continues north, often past the Arctic Circle. With long, cold winters and short, cool summers, the boreal woods have far less biodiversity than tropical forests.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Boreal: The Great Northern Forest," June 2002, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 175

Boat Hull, Arctic Circle, 2002

Photograph by Peter Essick

The glassy surface of a boreal forest lake in the Arctic Circle reflects the bright red hull of a boat. The boreal, or northern, forest, is the great globe-circling ecosystem of the north that lies in Russia, Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia. Its soils are thin, growing seasons are brief, and its plants, animals, and people must withstand intense weather.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Great Northern Forest," June 2002, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 103

Boreal Forest, Arctic Circle, 2002

Morning fog blankets a tree-lined bog somewhere in the Arctic boreal forest. Boreal forests have more wetlands area than anywhere else in the world, with Russia and Canada each containing an estimated one million to two million lakes and ponds.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Boreal: The Great Northern Forest," June 2002, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 19

Aurora Borealis, Arctic Circle, 2002
Photograph by Peter Essick

A leggy evergreen looms over a stretch of Arctic boreal forest as light from the aurora borealis paints the night sky emerald green.
These natural fireworks shows, also called the northern lights, occur when solar wind—electrically charged particles blasted from the sun—collides with atoms in the upper atmosphere over the Earth's magnetic poles.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Boreal: The Great Northern Forest," June 2002, National Geographic magazine)