Arctic tundra golden nuggets

Question 1

How many moths a year does it have a negative heat balance?

Answer 1

eight or nine

Question 2

Average temperature

Answer 2

-12 to -6 degrees Celcius

Question 3

Variation in precipitation and annual precipitation

Answer 3

20-60mm per month 250mm per year

Question 4

Carbon stored in permafrost

Answer 4

1600 gigatons

Question 5

Net Primary Productivity g/msquared/year

Answer 5

200g/msquared/year

Question 6

Biomass/ha

Answer 6

4-29 tonnes

Question 7

amount of carbon and methane lost from melting of permafrost/year

Answer 7

7 to 40 million tonnes (carbon)

24,000-114,000 tonnes of methane

Question 8

What can temps reach in winter?

Answer 8

Below -40 degrees celcius

Question 9

What is the annual precipitation and what does it fall as?

Answer 9

50-350mm and falls as snow.

Question 10

What water stores form during the summer?

Answer 10

Extensive wetlands, millions of pools of water, ponds and lakes.

Question 11

Why are there occasionally CO2 emissions in winter?

Answer 11

This is due to pockets of unfrozen soil.

Question 12

Why is there a low permeability in the Tundra?

Answer 12

Due to impermeable permafrost and crystalline rocks.

Question 13

How long is most carbon in permafrost locked away for?

Answer 13

over 500,000 years

Question 14

What has happened in recent years in terms of the extraction of oil?

Answer 14

Has been a decline from America

Question 15

What have been the side effects of the growing oil and gas industry?

Answer 15

There has been localised melting of the permafrost.

Question 16

Why is there localised melting of permafrost due to the oil and gas industry?

Answer 16

The construction and operation of installations has interfered, new infrastructure, dust deposition has increased albedo, has been a removal of vegetation cover.

Question 17

How much more carbon is there in soils than in above soil biomass?

Answer 17

5X

Question 18

Why may the carbon budget remain balanced in the Arctic Tundra?

Answer 18

There has been stimulated growth due to warmer weather, this means that more carbon has been taken in and more carbon rich litter has been entering the soil.

Question 19

How long has most carbon in the tundra been locked away for?

Answer 19

500,000 years

Question 20

How has the degrading of vegetation due to the oil and gas industry led to a disruption in the carbon cycle?

Answer 20

There has been a reduction in photosynthesis and an uptake of photosynthesis from the atmosphere.

Question 21

Why does the tundra take very long to regenerate?

Answer 21

Due to its slow growing nature of the vegetation.

Question 22

What impact has the oil and gas industry had on the water cycle?

Answer 22

Has been more run off and river discharge. Have been more wetlands in summer and greater rates of evaporation. Strip mining has disrupted drainage and exposed permafrost to further melting.