9470±40 BP to greater than 50,000 BP (14C). Important Bird Area The entire archipelago has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding populations of many species of birds. Climate The climate is arctic and severe. Snow cover is present for 9 months of the year. Average temperature in January: −28 °C to −31 °C Temperature in July: At the coasts icy Arctic water keeps the temperatures relatively low. Average maximum temperatures from +8 °C to +11 °C and average minimum temperatures from -3 °C to +1 °C. In the interior of the islands the average maximum temperatures in July are +16 °C to +19 °C and average minimum temperatures +3 °C to +6 °C. Precipitation: up to 132 mm a year Permafrost and underground ice are very common. The surface of the islands is covered with Arctic tundra vegetation and numerous lakes. The ocean surrounding the islands is covered with ice most of the year. During warm years, the ocean briefly opens for navigation July through October. During cold years, islands may remain ice-locked through the summer. Polar night conditions are present November through February, and, conversely, the Sun remains above the horizon continuously during summer months. Photo gallery See also Arctic Alaska-Chukotka terrane Lomonosov Ridge List of islands Kigilyakh References Locations Further reading Alfred Wegner institute (AWI) Publications, Berichte zur Polar- und Meeresforschung (Reports on polar and marine research) - free, downloadable research reports on the biology, geology, oceanography, hydrology, paleontology, paleoclimatology, fauna, flora, soils, cryology, and so forth of the New Siberian Islands, Laptev Sea, and other parts of the Arctic Circle. Andreev, A.A., and D.M. Peteet, 1999, Climate and Diet of Mammoths in the East Siberian Arctic . Science Briefs (August 1999). Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York. Last visited July 12, 2008. Babinski, E.T., nd, A Frozen Ninety Foot Tall Plum Tree. examination of reports of a 90-foot fossil plum tree being found in Great Lyakhovsky Island of the New Siberian Islands. Basilyan, A., and P.A. Nikolskiy, 2002, Quaternary Deposits of New Siberia Island (Russian Arctic). 32nd Annual Arctic Workshop Abstracts, March 14–16, 2002, INSTAAR, University of Colorado at Boulder. Espinoza, E.O., and M.-J. Mann, 1993, The history and significance of the Schreger Pattern in Proboscidean ivory characterization. Journal for the American Institute for Conservation. vol. 32, no. 3, Article 3, pp. 241–248. Kuznetsova, T.V., L.D.