The Arctic Tundra
The Tundra is located in the northern regions of North America, Europe, Asia, as
well as a few regions of Antarctica. The Tundra is the second largest vegetation
zone in Canada. It can be divided clearly into three different sections: the
High Arctic Tundra, the Low Arctic Tundra and the Alpine Tundra. The latter
Alpine Tundra occurs in higher altitudes such as mountains whereas the first two
are mainly based in plains and lowlands of some kind. The Low Arctic Tundra is
the transmission point to the north. It is located above Canada's Boreal forests
and is followed by the High Arctic Tundra. The High Arctic Tundra is located
farther north and encompasses the Arctic circle as well as most of the western
Northwest Territories. Generally though since climate more or less corresponds
to vegetation zones, the Tundra is located in Arctic climate areas.
Temperature
The Tundra suffers a very harsh climate. Because of this fact most of the area
remains barren save for a few shrubs and lichens. It's winters last from 8-10
months and the summers are cool and short. Also due to the fact that much of
it's territory is located within the northern pole a lot of the Tundra receives
alternating 6 month periods of light and dark. This is also the reason why the
Tundra receives cold weather; at it's degree of latitude the suns rays end up
hitting the region obliquely, thus causing less solar heat. Here are the
temperatures of the Tundra in general:
Average January temperature: -32.1 degrees Celsius
Average July temperature: +4.1 degrees Celsius
Temperature range: 36.2 degrees Celsius
Average annual temperature: -17 degrees Celsius
Lowest temperature recorded: -52.5 degrees Celsius
Highest temperature recorded: +18.3 degrees Celsius
After seeing these temperatures you can see the reason why barely anyone lives
up there and why there is rather little natural vegetation.
Seasons And Moisture Content
The main seasons of the Tundra are summer and winter. The winter will last 8 to
10 months followed by the short and much less cold summer. During the summer
some lower areas of the Tundra will defrost at which point most of the flora and
fauna will start to creep out of hiding. The few summer months are used by many
animals such as the polar bear, to mate and to prepare for the once again
oncoming winter. During the winter months most everything remains frozen. Many
of the animals migrate south for the winter whereas some stay behind or even
group together for ritual group suicide (lemmings).
There is little precipitation all year long in the Tundra. The average yearly
total is 136 mm, out of which 83.
Due to the moderating effect, this ecozone has long, mild summers (18 to 22°C) and cool, short winters (-3 to -12°C), with around 720 to 1000mm of precipitation, and 180 to 260 growing days annually. The Westerlies can also alter the weather quickly in this ecozone.
They survive in some of the coldest places on earth, they have a number of anatomical, behavioural and physiological adaptations that allow them to do this successfully. Arctic wolves live for around 7 to 10 years in the wild.
The seasons are caused by the toilet of the Earth’s axis. It is also caused by the way the tilt of the earth is pointed at; away or towards the sun. The tilt of the earth is 23.5 degrees. There are two solstices, the summer solstice and the winter solstice. The summer solstice is when the northern hemisphere is focused on the tilt towards the sun, maximum sunlight is reached here. The winter solstice is when it is focused on the tilt away from the sun, there will be minimum sunlight. The winter builds up cold air over North America. The Earth is closer to the sun when it is winter in the northern hemisphere. The distance from the sun varies. The earth has seasons because the earth is not straight, it is tilted. The Earth's distance from the sun does not cause the seasons. Many people believe that the seasons are caused by Earth's orbit around the sun, but this is false. Winter occurs when the Earth is closest to the sun, while summer occurs when the Earth is farthest from the sun.
There are even times in the year when the sun doesn’t come up for days. In the tundra we have little snow and even less rainfall. The rainfall is about a quarter inch of yearly rainfall. Even though the tundra’s winters are long and harsh, summers are the shortest season of all. Due to the terrible weather and climate in the tundra, their animal and plant life is very limited.
of about -9° C (about 16° F) and an average July temperature of about 22° C
The Tundra Biome is located in the northern part of Canada. The word “tundra” is come from the Finnish word “tunturia”, that means the barren land. The Tundra Biome is the coldest biome in Canada, so its climate is cold enough to freeze soil that forms permafrost all over the biome. Precipitation in this biome is 6 to 10 inches of rain each year including the molten snow, so its precipitation is as low as desert.
characteristic. Siberia is known to be very cold, but also a part of the Soviet
In the ‘cool season’ from early November to February, humid tropical air from the Indian ocean gives way to cold, dry air originating in Central Asia to the North. The sky is generally cloudless all day, and rain is very unlikely - perhaps one showers a month. From December, many of the trees lose their leaves as a protection against drought, and the lush greens of the countryside give way to sombre browns.
Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the North Pole and extending south to the Coniferous forests of the Taiga. The arctic is known for its cold, desert-like conditions. The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but the average summer temperature is 3-12° C (37-54° F), which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including mel...
Some plant species lose their leaves in winter, entering a stage of dormancy, in which they can survive extremely low temperatures. (Wikidot, 2011) Most plants respond rapidly to low temperatures, making metabolic changes in existing tissues. Respones can also be long-term, such as developmental changes (e.g. promotion of flowering, breaking of bud dormancy, and formation of new, thicker leaves). (Schmidt, n.d.)
season, and what season it comes in either a dry winter or a dry summer. The
As temperatures continue to change, the earth’s climate gets hotter, glaciers begin to be affected and currents in the air begin to change. What will happen to our ecosystem in the Arctic regions if these environmental factors continue? Drastic change to the environment from continuous heating will begin to affect colder regions such as the Arctic, which will then affect the atmosphere, oceans, temperatures, and species living in those areas. The Arctic environment in every aspect will be affected by increase heating in the temperature. The continuation of this affect can lead to ice mass decreasing due to melting and sea levels will rise and become cooler. Adaption will become key in areas affected especially for the species living in these areas.
Out of all of the Scandinavian countries, Norway is the most mountainous and has one of the coldest environments. Two-thirds of Norway is covered in very high mountains and is usually very rainy. In the north, Norway has mostly glaciers and large tundra areas. The coastline is indented with fjords (bay like areas of water), and over 50,000 islands surround the coast. The climate is temperate on the coast, but it’s much colder in the interior. Norway has many petroleum and natural gas deposits in the north tundra areas. Some of their other natural resources are iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, and hydropower (CIA World Factbook, 2014).
Two things that cause seasons on the Earth are the Earthś orbit around the sun, and the tilt that Earth has on its axis. First of all, the Earth orbits around the sun, while the Earth’s axis stays consistent throughout the revolution. This occurs because the sun is the center gravity of our solar system, and each planet revolves around it, including our planet. Therefore, the part of the Earth that is tilted toward the sun can change as the Earth orbits the sun. While the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, direct light hits it and the Northern Hemisphere has summer because it is closer to the sun and these countries receive longer hours of daylight. During this time of the year, the Southern Hemisphere is experiencing winter
warmer each year. Researchers have studied and said by 2050 million of plants and animals