Welcome To The Tundra!
TUNDRA BIOME
The winter is long and very cold, with a short summer.
Arctic tundra is in the northern hemisphere, around the north pole, stretching south to the taiga. The summer growing season lasts about 50 to 60 days. Winter temperatures average -34° C , but the summer temperatures average 3-12° C, which is warm enough for plants and animals to reproduce and grow.
Rainfall varies around the Arctic, but on average yearly rain and snow is 15 cm to 25 cm.
About a meter under the top layer of soil there is ground that is permanently frozen, called permafrost. In the very short summers, the top level of soil thaws just long enough for plants to grow and reproduce, then become dormant (hibernate) over winter. But the permafrost layer never thaws. Because of this, tundra plants do not have deep root systems. When water soaks the upper soil surface, bogs and ponds may form and provide moisture for plants and small life forms.
Arctic tundra is in the northern hemisphere, around the north pole, stretching south to the taiga. The summer growing season lasts about 50 to 60 days. Winter temperatures average -34° C , but the summer temperatures average 3-12° C, which is warm enough for plants and animals to reproduce and grow.
Rainfall varies around the Arctic, but on average yearly rain and snow is 15 cm to 25 cm.
About a meter under the top layer of soil there is ground that is permanently frozen, called permafrost. In the very short summers, the top level of soil thaws just long enough for plants to grow and reproduce, then become dormant (hibernate) over winter. But the permafrost layer never thaws. Because of this, tundra plants do not have deep root systems. When water soaks the upper soil surface, bogs and ponds may form and provide moisture for plants and small life forms.
ANIMALS
Animals found in the Arctic include:
Herbivorous (plant eating) mammals such as lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
Carnivorous (meat eating) mammals such as arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
Migratory birds such as ravens, falcons, loons, ravens, sandpipers, terns and snow birds
Insects such as mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
Animals in the tundra have adapted to survive the long cold winters. They have an extra layer of fat to keep them warm, and in winter their fur is longer and thicker. Many hibernate during the winter when food is hard to find. Others migrate to warmer places to avoid the tundra winter. This means that animal populations in the tundra fluctuate with the seasons. Animals breed and raise their young in the short summer. There are few reptiles and amphibians in the tundra because of the cold .
Herbivorous (plant eating) mammals such as lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
Carnivorous (meat eating) mammals such as arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
Migratory birds such as ravens, falcons, loons, ravens, sandpipers, terns and snow birds
Insects such as mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
Animals in the tundra have adapted to survive the long cold winters. They have an extra layer of fat to keep them warm, and in winter their fur is longer and thicker. Many hibernate during the winter when food is hard to find. Others migrate to warmer places to avoid the tundra winter. This means that animal populations in the tundra fluctuate with the seasons. Animals breed and raise their young in the short summer. There are few reptiles and amphibians in the tundra because of the cold .
Human Involvement?
Human impact on the tundra has generally not been a positive one. Because the tundra is such a delicate environment, even the slightest change in conditions can threaten the entire biome. Recent human activities have largely undermined the habitat of the indigenous wildlife through pollution and over development.
Hunting
The overhunting of endangered species in the early 1900s resulted in the eradication of animals such as the musk oxen in the Alaskan tundra, which sailors coveted for the food and clothing it offered.
Global Warming, Oil Drilling, and Population
Global Warming: Global warming will continue to have an inevitable effect on the tundra, the world's most fragile biome. Rising temperatures will melt glaciers and permafrost, flood the surrounding areas and kill the delicate plant species.
Oil drilling: Oil drilling pollutes the water, land and air surrounding the tundra. Many plants and animals have either been killed or have permanently fled the area after the area became contaminated by the harmful gases and materials released during drilling.
Population: Air pollution leads to the release of chlorofluorocarbons, which deplete the ozone layer and expose the tundra to harmful ultraviolet rays. Pollution particles, gathering in thick clouds, can also be absorbed by the plant life, contaminating the food source for animals in the region.
Oil drilling: Oil drilling pollutes the water, land and air surrounding the tundra. Many plants and animals have either been killed or have permanently fled the area after the area became contaminated by the harmful gases and materials released during drilling.
Population: Air pollution leads to the release of chlorofluorocarbons, which deplete the ozone layer and expose the tundra to harmful ultraviolet rays. Pollution particles, gathering in thick clouds, can also be absorbed by the plant life, contaminating the food source for animals in the region.