Physical Address
Suite 5, 181 High Street,
Willoughby North NSW 2068
Life is difficult in the tundra, the coldest type of climate on Earth. Brief summers, long winters, brutal winds, little precipitation and bone-chilling temperatures limit the plants and animals that can survive in the tundra, but those that do are ingeniously adapted to the harsh conditions. Each tundra form—Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine—is a unique ecosystem composed of biotic and abiotic factors, eking out existence in places few humans could endure.
Types of Tundra
Location defines the three types of tundra. Arctic tundra is found in the Northern Hemisphere across Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia and Siberia. Antarctic tundra is confined to the Antarctic peninsula, the large finger of land jutting from Antarctica toward Chile, which features the continent’s mildest climate. Alpine tundra is seen in mountain ranges above 11,000–11,500 feet; peaks in North America’s Rocky Mountains, the Alps in Europe and the Andes in South America are a few examples of Alpine tundra.
Arctic Tundra Factors
Permafrost is the most significant abiotic factor in the Arctic tundra. In the summer, the top layer of this permanent underground ice sheet melts, creating streams and rivers that nourish biotic factors such as salmon and Arctic char. The permafrost prevents larger plants and trees from gaining a foothold, so lichens, mosses, sedges and willow shrubs grow close to the ground. These plants in turn provide cover for nesting snow geese, red-necked loons and ptarmigan, as well as food for Dall sheep, caribou and musk oxen. The top Arctic predators, wolves and brown bears, prey on these herbivores.
