The Arctic

The tundra is the worlds coldest and harshest biomes. This ecosystem is treeless and is found in the Arctic on top of mountains, where the climate is cold and windy. These lands are snow covered for most of the year until summer comes and brings on wildflowers.
Mountain goats, sheep, marmots, and birds live in mountain–or alpine–tundra and feed on the low-lying plants and insects. Hardy flora like cushion plants survive on these mountain plains by growing in rock depressions, where it is warmer and they are sheltered from the wind.

The Arctic tundra, where the average temperature is 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 to -6 degrees Celsius), supports a variety of animal species, including Arctic foxes, polar bears, gray wolves, caribou, snow geese and musk-oxen. The summer growing season is just 50 to 60 days, when the sun shines 24 hours a day.

The few plants and animals that live in the harsh conditions of the tundra are essentially clinging to life. Animals that are typically found further south, like the red fox, are moving onto the tundra. The red fox is now competing with the Arctic fox for food and territory, and the long-term impact on the sensitive Arctic fox is unknown. It is the Arctic's permafrost that is the foundation for much of the region's unique ecosystem, and it is the permafrost that is deteriorating with the warmer global climate. Permafrost is a layer of frozen soil and dead plants that extends some 1,476 feet (450 meters) under the surface. In much of the Arctic, it is frozen year round. In the southern regions of the Arctic, the surface layer above the permafrost melts during the summer and this forms bogs and shallow lakes that invite an explosion of animal life. Insects swarm around the bogs, and millions of migrating birds come to feed on them.

Human Impact: Threats to Tundra

• Air pollution can cause smog clouds that contaminate lichen, a significant food source for many animals.
• Exploration of oil, gas, and minerals and construction of pipelines and roads can cause physical disturbances and habitat fragmentation.
• Oil spills can kill wildlife and significantly damage tundra ecosystems.
• Buildings and roads put heat and pressure on the permafrost, causing it to melt.