Tundra:
Come visit one of the most peaceful places on earth! The Tundra is a beautiful, vast, icy paradise for anyone who enjoys the sight of untouched nature. Tundra comes from the word tundra, which means, treeless plain. It is also the world’s youngest biome.
Locations:
The Tundra is located in the northern lands of Europe, Asia, North America and Greenland. The Tundra covers about 20% of the earth’s land surface.
Climate:
The Tundra is the world’s coldest biome, so don’t forget to pack very heavy clothes! You will need to wrap up like an Eskimo to keep warm. The average winter temperature here is -30° F! The summer, which is very short, about 6-10 weeks is around 37°- 54° F, which allows this biome to sustain some life. There is hardly any precipitation here. Yearly rainfall, including melting snow is only 6-10 inches. A layer of permanently frozen soil, called permafrost exists here. It is made up of gravel and other fine material. This layer is from 10 inches to 3 feet deep and does not allow trees to grow. In the summer, when the permafrost melts, the land is very wet and covered with marshes, lakes and ponds.
Wildlife:
Even though it is very cold most of the year, there are still hundreds of different kinds of plants that exist here. They are not deep rooted plants. They are moses, grasses, shrubs and flowers.
When the area is very moist during the summertime, it attracts a ton of bugs, including mosquitoes and flies. Those bugs attract birds, including ravens, falcons and gulls. The birds stay in the area and eat the bugs during the summer. Then they migrate south during the winter.
Other animals include the arctic hare, the arctic fox, wolves and many different kinds of fish. Many of the animals have thick white fur, so they can blend into their environment. They also grow thick layers of fat & fur to insulate them. Many of the animals living in the Tundra hibernate during the wintertime.
Critical issues:
One critical issue is that the Tundra is a carbon dioxide sink, which means it takes in more carbon dioxide than it releases. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.
Another issue is mining. Towns and roads are being created in the middle of these peaceful environment and create an imbalance for the creatures.
Interesting Facts:
*There is very little precipitation in the tundra. In fact, it gets about as much moisture as the desert.
*In the summertime, the sun shines all the time, even at midnight.
*As the sea freezes, the salt rises to the surface as crystals, called ice flowers.
*The only tree that grows in the tundra is the dwarf willow tree.