the tundra
DESCRIPTION
The Tundra. Angela Duncan. Geography. Located above the Arctic Circle Stretches from northern Scandinavia, across Russia, Siberia, Northern Alaska, and finally to Canada. Hugs the northern most ring of the planet. Climate. Generally cold and very dry Short summers 6 to 10 weeks long - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Angela Duncan
Located above the Arctic Circle
Stretches from northern Scandinavia, across Russia, Siberia, Northern Alaska, and finally to Canada.
Hugs the northern most ring of the planet
Generally cold and very dry Short summers
6 to 10 weeks long Never gets warmer than 50°F Cold winds continuously blow across
the landscape Average temperature is around -
30°F
Topsoil composed mostly of humus due to slow decomposition rates
Layer of permafrost underneath Constant freezing and thawing of
the soil brings rocks to the surfacePolygonal pattern of stones on the
surface
Vegetation: Lichens, Mosses, Grasses, Herbaceous Plants, Small Shrubs
Land Animals: Grizzly Bears, Gray Wolves, Caribou, Oxen, Weasels, Lemmings, Arctic and Red Foxes, Moose
Sea Animals: Walruses, Orcas, Beluga Whales, Sea Lions
Birds: Snowy Owls, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Arctic Geese, Puffins, Arctic Loons
Used to be the only biomes untainted by humankind
Drilling for Oil Pesticides from nearby
civilization Chernobyl Disaster
1986 Ukraine Great explosion of the
power plant Massive amounts of
radiation released (cesium-137)
Covered the Norwegian tundra in the form of rainfall
Damage to the food chain