What is Tundra Like?

Three Types Arctic tundra occurs in the far Northern Hemisphere, north of the taiga belt; Antarctic tundra on subantarctic islands, including South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Kerguelen Islands Alpine---mountains

What does Tundra Look Like? These pictures were taken in northern Finland, in an area known as Lapland.

Characteristics of Tundra -Extremely cold climate -Low biotic diversity -Simple vegetation structure Limitation of drainage -Short season of growth and reproduction -Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material -Large population oscillations

How cold is cold? The tundra biome is at the top of the world -- around the North Pole! Below a thin layer of tundra soil (active zone) is its permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of ground. During the brief summers, the top section of the soil may thaw just long enough to allow plants and microorganisms to grow and reproduce.

Where is Tundra? The tundra is located at the top of the world, near the North Pole. covers a fifth of the earth's surface. There is another region called alpine tundra, which is found on the tops of tall, cold mountains.

Tundra Facts Animals are adapted to handle cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the very short and cool summers.   The soil is often frozen. Permafrost, or permanent ice, usually exists within a meter of the surface. Water is unavailable during most of the year.   Annual precipitation is very low, usually less than 10 inches (25 centimeters).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGSdBMdvCGA

Is Tundra like a Desert? Compare rainfall amounts

Carbon Balance

Tundra Animals http://bioexpedition.com/tundra-biome-video/ Adapt to cold temperatures Migrate Change color due to season

Wildlife in Tundra Polar Bears, Musk Ox, snowshoe hare, Arctic Wolf Flies are scarce but butterflies, beetles, and grasshoppers are abundant.

Alpine Wildlife Alpine animal life includes the mountain goat, big-horned sheep, pika, marmot, and the ptarmigan, a grouselike bird.

Rock Ptarmigans The ground-dwelling rock ptarmigans depend on camouflage for defense, and to achieve this in the changing background of their northerly range, they adopt different plumages.

Caribou & Reindeer The caribou is the only deer in which both sexes have antlers Some populations migrate hundreds of miles between their breeding grounds on the tundra and winter feeding grounds farther south..

Polar Bears Seals, fish, seabirds, arctic hares, caribou, and musk oxen are the polar bear's main prey, and in the summer it also eats berries and leaves of tundra plants.   Normally solitary animals outside the breeding season, polar bears mate in midsummer.

No more Polar Bears Global warming is affecting the Polar Bears habitat Sheet ice is melting before the bears can get to it to feed on seals. Many polar bears have drowned seeking food.

Sled Dogs Sled dogs are a hearty breed of animals. They have very thick fur and amazing stamina.  A team of dogs can pull a sled and a person for hundreds of miles.  The Iditarod is the most popular sled dog race. Taking place in early spring, the Iditarod starts in downtown Anchorage, which is in the taiga. The race end and ends 1049 miles later in the tundra of Nome, Alaska. Can you imagine traveling 1049 miles powered only by dogs! The race takes one to two weeks to complete. .

Snowy Owls The snowy owl is a large species with distinctive, mainly white plumage; females have more dark, barred markings than males. It usually hunts during the day and takes prey up to the size of arctic hares and lemmings, as well as smaller rodents and birds such as ducks and gulls.  The snowy owl begins nesting in mid-May. It makes a shallow scrape in the ground or on a rock, lines it with moss and feathers and lays 4 to 10 eggs. Up to 15 eggs may be laid if food supplies are particularly good. The male brings food to the female while she incubates the eggs for 32 or 33 days.

Tundra Plants The tundra landscape is a stark and barren place. The plants growing in the tundra are often small and grow close to the ground During the short-growing season in the summer, the tundra blooms with a variety of low-growing plants. So what plant life is found there?

Tundra Plant Adaptations Where soil accumulates in pockets or cracks in rocks, small shrubs may grow. The tundra landscape is often covered with rocks. The constant freezing and thawing in the tundra helps to break the rocks into smaller pieces. 

Lichens Growing on the surface of this rock is a lichen. Lichens are unusual organisms that often grow on exposed rock surfaces. They are composed of a fungus and an algae living and growing together. There are several varieties of lichen, and in the autumn lichen turn various colors. Lichen is the favorite food of caribou and musk oxen. Indicators of good air quality; sensitive to air pollution.

Tundra Plant Adaptation Many plants, such as this one, have leaves that are dark red. Dark leaves allow the plant to absorb more heat from the sun in the cold tundra climate

Cushion Plants Many tundra plants, such as this one, are called cushion plants. That means they grow in a low, tight clump and look like a little cushion. Cushion plants are more common in the tundra where their growth habit helps protect them from the cold. 

Coevolution Tundra birds help distribute seeds. When they eat brightly colored berries, the birds carry seeds to other places and leave the seeds to grow.

Using the Wind Cotton grass has seeds that are dispersed across the tundra when they are caught by the wind.

Destruction of Tundra--Fragile Disruption of vegetative cover causes permafrost to melt deeply, causing collapse of ground and loss of soil. Automobile tracks cause deep gullies that persist for years. The tundra wildlife is vulnerable to habitat destruction,

Global Warming Global warming can be drastic if the Arctic follows suit as melting Arctic tundra will tumble vast carbon waste into Arctic Ocean through a large number of rivers. Go to: (methane burning ice) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B36EoEuKjVg

Aurora Borealis An aurora from the Latin word aurora, "sunrise" is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere)

Extreme Climate Dangerous The tundra has a very extreme climate. The intense cold presents many problems if you are not prepared. Hypothermia is considered severe when the body's core temperature drops below 90 degrees F, and mild from normal body temperature to 90 degrees F.

Frostbite Frostbite is caused by exposure to severe cold. Frostbite occurs more often when the wind is blowing, quickly taking heat from the body. The ears, cheeks, nose, toes, and fingers are frostbitten the most frequently.