Jen Lofts

 Where is it?  It is located at the top of the world pretty much. It’s close to the North Pole.

 Abiotic factors  Some of the abiotic factors of the arctic tundra are things like the constant cold climate, snow, rainfall, the structure, the sunshine that only shines for about 12 hours a day and that doesn’t really bring a lot of heat and reproduction just to name a few.

 Soil Characteristics  It had quite poor soil which of course results in a low amount of vegetation being grown there. It has a frozen layer of soil called permafrost that leaves a little room for trees to grow.

 Native plants  However there are a wide range of native plants that do grow there and are what the animals like to feed on. These plants include bearberry, arctic moss, diamond leaf willow, Labrador tea, pasque flower and the tufted saxifrage. The plants have to have really shallow roots to live in the tundra because of the quality of the soil.

 Native animals  Some of the native animals include foxes, bears, rodents, hares and shrews, musk ox and caribou. Also the main predators of this biome are foxes and polar bears who roam around looking for the next animal to call their prey. The animals need to be able to adapt to the cold weather if they have any chance of survival in the tundra.

 Cooperation between species  An example of cooperation would have to be foxes and polar bears. They work together to kill their prey. The foxes don’t get in the way and the Polar bears will give them the scraps from the kill. They don’t seem to mind each other so this arrangement works quite well.

 Competition between species  An example of competition would have to be between the ox and caribou. Their competition may arise because they both like to eat something called sedge and it can be quite a rare thing to find so they may compete for that certain type of food.

 Recreational activities  There are many types of activities that you can participate in at the arctic tundra. You can see some of the beautiful birds that call the Tundra home, you can see the polar lights they can also be called the northern lights or aurora lights, you can just do something as simple as just exploring, you can go hiking which is super exciting in the growing season, you can go river floating in the beautiful rivers around the tundra and you could also have some fun with skiing.

 Points of interest  You can go to many places of interest in the tundra like northern Alaska, Norway, Finland, Greenland, Iceland and Northern Sweden. All in which have some beautiful wildlife that you can gaze your eyes upon.

 Biomes for side trips  If you were considering going to a different biome for a side trip you could always take a trip to the Alpine Tundra. Both biomes are very much alike excluding the fact that the arctic tundra has a lot more trees. You wouldn’t need to pack anything specifically different because of this fact which always makes things a lot more convenient for all.

 The average precipitation  The precipitation in the arctic tundra can vary between levels of mm – mm a year. A lot of the rain they could have gotten may have actually frozen completely before hitting the ground causing it to only be snow.

 Average temperature  In the winter the average temperature in the arctic tundra is around -34 degrees Celsius and the summer temperature because approximately 3-12 degrees Celsius. In the summer some of the snow on the ground may melt to water and help the plants to grow.

 Supplies you may want to bring  Some of the things you may need to bring with you to the arctic tundra to ensure you have an enjoyable and safe experience are a nice jacket that will keep make sure you don’t freeze (winter and summer), some sunscreen to make sure you don’t get burnt from the strong UV rays (summer), things like a scarf or beanie (winter), an insulation jacket to go over the top (winter), thick wool socks to keep your feet warm and ensure you don’t get frostbite (winter), water proof mittens or gloves (winter) and a torch/flash light for if it gets too dark (winter).

 Some threats to the biome  The most serious threat to the arctic tundra would have to be the crisis of global warming. If the earth gets too hot and the snow that covers the ground melts that could be quite terrible for the animals and plants that call the tundra their home. Anything that lives there are used to both the ice and the extremely low temperatures and their bodies suit it.

 Endangered species  There are a few animals that live in the arctic tundra that fall under the category of endangered species. They include the arctic fox, caribou and the polar bear. The musk ox used to be classified as one but has since raised its numbers to make them a safe species.

 Is there fear for climate change?  According to scientists the arctic tundra is probably one of the places in the world that is warming up the fastest because of where its position is. Climate changed could possibly cause the polar bear to even come extinct so you could definitely say that the tundra does fear climate change.

 Cultural significance  The culture of the people who are natively from the arctic tundra is that the answer is in nature. Most of them do not pray to gods or anything along those lines but look to nature for the answer they want. Say someone loses their reindeer they may start a fire and they believe that the fire will point them in the right direction.