Transcript TUNDRA The World’s Youngest Biome

TUNDRA
The World’s Youngest Biome
Geography
• Arctic zone of North America
• Hudson Bay Region of Canada
• Northern Siberia bordering the Arctic
Ocean
• Greenland Coast
• Northern Iceland
• Arctic Circle
• Precipitation
Precipitation
Average annual precipitation is 20 cm per year.
Temperature
The temperature ranges from -22°C to 6°C.
Soils
• The ground is always frozen beneath the
top layer of soil.
• Very low in minerals and nutrients.
• Bare and Rocky
• Seasonal very soggy with marshes, lakes,
bogs, and streams.
• The worlds coldest and driest.
Vegetation
• Very little
• Mainly shrubs,
sedges, mosses,
lichens, and grasses.
• No trees except lower
latitude Birches
• Many varieties of
flowers
• Very adaptable plants
Animal Life
• Not a lot of
biodiversity
• 48 species of land
mammals
• Some insect species
• Many migratory birds
• Some marine animals
Human Influences
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One of the 3 major Carbon Dioxide sinks.
Several feet of Tundra lost every year.
Pollution from mining and oil.
Disruption of animal habitats.
Pesticides