Arctic Tundra Essay
Tundra
Geographic distribution
There are two types of tundras, Arctic Tundra and Alpine Tundra. They both make up about 20% of the earth's surface. The southern limit of Arctic tundra follows the northern edge of the coniferous forest belt. In North America this line lies above latitude 60° N, while in Eurasia most of it occurs north of 70° N. Tundra is about 3 million square miles long and covers about 20% of the earth's surface.
Temperature, Seasonality, and Precipitation
In the Arctic tundra The average temperature is 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 to -6 degrees Celsius) and is known for its cold,desert like (dry) conditions. Tundras winters are long and cold and there is little sunlight. Summers are short but warm. These short summers lead to a short growing period for plants. The Arctic tundra may receive little precipitation as some deserts. Yearly precipitation is 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches). In the tundra there is no distinct rainy season, but summers tend to be more moist, with little ponds and marshes forming from melted snow and ice. …show more content…
In alpine tundras Bristlecone Pine, Forget-me-nots, Bearberry, Alpine Sunflowers, and Saxifrages are some plants.
Plant adaptation
Plants must adapt to these harsh conditions too some examples are the hairy stems to help retain heat and dark leaves to help absorb the sunlight and spiny stems to protect the plants.
Soil properties
Permafrost has a big affect on the soil in the tundra due to this most of the arctic ground is frozen year round in some places in the arctic the ground get warms of enough and the permafrost melts this creates shallow lakes this can cause en explosion of flora and fauna
Geographic distribution
There are two types of tundras, Arctic Tundra and Alpine Tundra. They both make up about 20% of the earth's surface. The southern limit of Arctic tundra follows the northern edge of the coniferous forest belt. In North America this line lies above latitude 60° N, while in Eurasia most of it occurs north of 70° N. Tundra is about 3 million square miles long and covers about 20% of the earth's surface.
Temperature, Seasonality, and Precipitation
In the Arctic tundra The average temperature is 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 to -6 degrees Celsius) and is known for its cold,desert like (dry) conditions. Tundras winters are long and cold and there is little sunlight. Summers are short but warm. These short summers lead to a short growing period for plants. The Arctic tundra may receive little precipitation as some deserts. Yearly precipitation is 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches). In the tundra there is no distinct rainy season, but summers tend to be more moist, with little ponds and marshes forming from melted snow and ice. …show more content…
In alpine tundras Bristlecone Pine, Forget-me-nots, Bearberry, Alpine Sunflowers, and Saxifrages are some plants.
Plant adaptation
Plants must adapt to these harsh conditions too some examples are the hairy stems to help retain heat and dark leaves to help absorb the sunlight and spiny stems to protect the plants.
Soil properties
Permafrost has a big affect on the soil in the tundra due to this most of the arctic ground is frozen year round in some places in the arctic the ground get warms of enough and the permafrost melts this creates shallow lakes this can cause en explosion of flora and fauna