The Canadian and Northern European Taigas By Anna Robinson

About the Taiga It’s the largest biome. The taiga biome is located further north, at around 50 degrees north latitude up to the north pole. It’s extremely cold in the winters, and the sun isn’t visible for long periods, but in the summer, the temperature rises enough for the ice to melt, and it’s almost constantly daylight.

Lithosphere Canada and North America, in a whole, are located on the North American plate. Northern Europe, with the exception of half of Iceland, is located on the Eurasian Plate. Both areas are mountainous.

Atmosphere/Space The Northern Lights can be seen from the Northern European Taiga area AND the Canadian Taiga are. They’re so large, they can be seen from space.

Hydrosphere Taiga biomes usually have average to above average amounts of precipitation, usually in the form of snow. Many lakes and rivers run through the taiga. Almost all the rivers in the Siberian taiga flow northward. When the weather changes in spring, the ground becomes a wetland in some areas.

Biosphere The taiga is mostly made up of boreal forests, which are made up mostly of evergreens, small shrubs, mosses, and lichens. Some animals found in the taiga would be elk, caribou, wolves, black and grizzly bears, squirrels, beavers, and rabbits.

Problems These Areas Face People are using these areas for natural gas and oil. Global warming could allow deciduous trees to take over the coniferous trees. Things in the soil that have been frozen (thus keeping them from decomposing) could decompose faster, contributing to global warming.

Work Cited About the Taiga: http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/taiga/where.htm Lithosphere: http://theearthquakemuseum.weebly.com/uploads/8/7/2/1/8721195/7795947.gif?632 Atmosphere/Space: http://maps.canadiangeographic.ca/northern-lights-across-canada/ http:/https://encrypted- tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSqQBJ6XvEilyLsbRiSIM186icpCZB4ng- BO9zFtDsNgXda7l3s/maps.canadiangeographic.ca/northern-lights-across-canada/ Hydrosphere: https://www.britannica.com/science/taiga http://www.hww.ca/en/wild-spaces/boreal- forest.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/ Biosphere: . http://www.ramp-alberta.org/river/boreal/alberta/plants.aspx https://sites.google.com/site/science10borealforestreport/_/rsrc/1428715045743/locations/canadian-boreal- forests/mount-rundle-and-boreal-forest-tim-fitzharris.jpg?height=308&width=400 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Snowshoe_Hare%2C_Shirleys_Bay.jpg Problems These Areas Face: w3.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/boreal.htm