Arctic Tundra CS Flashcards
Define a Tundra
A type of biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons
What type of vegetation is found in Tundras?
dwarf shrubs, sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens
What are the Arctic soils like?
Mainly consist of permafrost
Some areas in the Summer, the top layer of permafrost melts (active layer), allowing small plants to grow as they now have a supply of freshwater
In the winter, the top layer will freeze once more
Why is the arctic so cold?
The Arctic has lots of ice which enhances the Albedo
This reflects more sun radiation back out
What is the Pattern of precipitation in the Arctic?
Low annual precipitation
50-350mm
Mostly falls as snow, which can accumulate and melt in summer increasing river flow
What is the rate of Transpiration like in the Arctic?
Transpiration is limited due to the limited range of vegetation and the short growing season
What is the rate of evaporation in the Arctic?
Low rates of evaporation due to sun energy being used to melt snow
This means ground temps remain low leaving water frozen as ice for most of the year
What is the humidity like in the Arctic?
Low temps reduce the absolute humidity
low stores in the atmospehere
What are the groundwater stores like in the Arctic?
Limited soil moisture is a barrier to infiltration & percolation
What are the carbon store in Soil like in the Tundra?
Carbon in soils is 5x that of above ground biomass
What is vegetation like in the Tundra?
During the growing season the plants input carbon rich litter into the soil
This increases decomposition and releases CO2 into the air
What is photosynthesis rates like in the Arctic?
During the growing season plants flower rapidly
The long daylight hours allow for longer periods of photosynthesis
What 3 physical factors influence the Water cycle in the Arctic?
Temperature
Geology/Permeability
Relief
How does temperature impact the water cycle in the Arctic?
Temperature is below freezing most of the year so water is stored as ground ice in permafrost layer
During short summer the active layer of the permafrost melts & water flows on the surface
In winter there is no evapotranspiration due to sub-zero temperatures
How does Geology/Permeability impact the water cycle in the Arctic?
Permeability is low as the majority of the geology of the Tundra is made from crystalline rocks and also the permafrost
What is crystalline rock?
Any rock composed entirely of crystallised minerals without glassy matter
e.g Intrusive igneous rocks & metamorphic rocks
How does Relief impact the water cycle in the Arctic?
The landscape is relatively flat (gently undulating) as a result of hundreds of millions of years of erosion and weathering leading to waterlogging in the summer months
This is added too by the chaotic nature of glacial deposits impeding drainage
What are the 3 physical factors influencing the Carbon cycle in the Arctic?
Temperature
Geology
Vegetation/organic matter
How does temperature impact the Carbon cycle in the Arctic?
Low temps mean that there is limited water supply for vegetation to grow
Low temps also mean lower rates of decomposition meaning less flow into the atmosphere
Carbon mainly flows (is in Flux) in the summer when the active layer of the permafrost thaws
How does Geology impact the Carbon Cycle in the Arctic?
The Permafrost is impermeable so, Rock permeability, rock porosity and the mineral composition of rocks have little influence on both the water and carbon cycles in the Tundra.
Amount of carbon in Tundra soils is 5x greater than the amount of carbon stored in the above-ground biomass
How does vegetation/organic matter impact the Carbon cycle in the Arctic?
Carbon is mostly stored as partly decomposed plant remains that are frozen in the permafrost (much has been locked away for 500,000 years)
NPP is less than 200 grams/m2/yr
Carbon stored in biomass is small. Between 4-29 tonnes/ha
How much undiscovered oil is estimated to be in the Arctic?
2008 United States Geological Survey - 90 million barrels
What is Conventional oil?
oil is a liquid at atmospheric temperature and pressure, so it can flow through a wellbore and a pipeline
easier and less expensive to recover conventional oil and it requires less processing after extraction
What is unconvectional oil?
Cannot be recovered using conventional drilling and pumping methods
Advanced extraction techniques, such as oil sands mining, are used to recover heavier oil that does not flow on its own