ELSS - Arctic Tundra Flashcards
Average Precipitation per year in artic?
50-350mm per year, mostly snow
How productive is the Arctic soil?
Second lowest productivity of any biomes - low biodiversity
Average temperature in the Arctic?
Average winter temperature = - 34 degrees Celsius
Average summer temperature = 10 degrees Celsius
Net primary production in the Arctic
200g/m^2/year NPP (Net Primary Production)
How does the oil and gas industry affect the water cycle in the Arctic
Increased greenhouse gas emissions has increased:
- Permafrost thawing
- Sea ice melt
Removed vegetation reducing transpiration
How much oil and gas is produced in the arctic (% of total globally)
10% of oil
25% of natural gas
What does Permafrost thawing release
Methane
CO2
How much has surface air temperature risen due to climate change?
3.5 degrees since the 1900’s
Where is the Arctic Tundra located?
occupies 8 million km2 in Northern Canada, Alaska and Siberia
how months of the year is the ground frozen
for 8 to 9 months a year, tundra has temps below freezing = ground permanently frozen with only the top metre or so thawing in Arctic summer
permafrost estimated to hold how much carbon ?
1600 Gt
How much carbon in the antarctic ice?
20,000BT
