The Arctic Tundra

Question 1

How big is the Arctic tundra?

Answer 1

8 million km2

Question 2

What countries/regions is the Arctic tundra in?

Answer 2

Canada, Alaska, Siberia

Question 3

Where does the Arctic tundra extend to/from?

Answer 3

from the northern edge of the boreal coniferous forest to the Arctic Ocean

Question 4

What is the southern limit of the Arctic tundra?

Answer 4

the 10 degrees July isotherm

Question 5

For how many months does the tundra have a negative heat balance (average temperatures below freezing)?

Answer 5

8 or 9 months

Question 6

For how long is the ground frozen?

Answer 6

permanently

Question 7

How much permafrost thaws in the summer?

Answer 7

top metre

Question 8

What happens in winter?

Answer 8

the sun remains permanently below the horizon and temperatures reach -40

Question 9

Why is there low biodiversity?

Answer 9

few plants and animals have adapted to the extreme environment

Question 10

What plant is not present?

Answer 10

trees

Question 11

What is the annual preciptiation?

Answer 11

low - 50-350mm

Question 12

what form is most of the precipitation?

Answer 12

snow

Question 13

why is there low humidity

Answer 13

the cold

Question 14

why is there little transpiration

Answer 14

sparse vegetation and short growing season

Question 15

why is there low evaporation

Answer 15

the Sun’s energy is used to melt snow and most surface water is frozen

Question 16

what is permafrost a barrier to?

Answer 16

infiltration and percolation = limited groundwater stores

Question 17

what accumulates in winter

Answer 17

snow and ice

Question 18

why does river flow increase in summer

Answer 18

snow/ice and active layer melt

Question 19

why are there wetlands in summer

Answer 19

permafrost limits drainage of melted ice

Question 20

how much carbon does the tundra contain

Answer 20

1600 Gt

Question 21

what slows decomposition

Answer 21

low temperatures

Question 22

how much more carbon is there in the soil than the above ground biomass

Answer 22

5X

Question 23

what do long daylight hours in summer allow for

Answer 23

rapid plant growth

Question 24

what is the NPP

Answer 24

200 g/m2/year

Question 25

what is the biomass

Answer 25

4-29 tonnes/ha

Question 26

what do plants input to the soil during the growing season

Answer 26

carbon-rich litter

Question 27

the activity of what increases in summer, and what does this release

Answer 27

microorganisms - CO2 via respiration

Question 28

What are a source of CO2 and CH4 in winter

Answer 28

pockets of unfrozen soil

Question 29

what is the effect of insulating snow

Answer 29

microbes can carry out some decomposition

Question 30

what may global warming do to the tundra

Answer 30

make it a carbon source. But increases in plant growth may take in more CO2

Question 31

what is the effect of temperature on water storage

Answer 31

average temperatures below freezing so water is stored as ice

Question 32

what forms when the active layer thaws

Answer 32

pools and lakes

Question 33

why is drainage poor

Answer 33

the permafrost

Question 34

what carbon cycle process does the cold prevent

Answer 34

evapotranspiration

Question 35

from what does evapotranspiration occur in summer

Answer 35

pools and vegetation

Question 36

what are low all year

Answer 36

humidity and precipitation

Question 37

what lies under the tundra

Answer 37

ancient rock

Question 38

what has reduced the ancient rock to a gentle plain

Answer 38

weathering and erosion

Question 39

what does the gentle plain of the tundra cause

Answer 39

impedes drainage and causes waterlogging in the summer

Question 40

what is carbon mainly stored as

Answer 40

partly decomposed plants in the permafrost

Question 41

what factors limit plant growth

Answer 41

low temperatures, no liquid water, little nutrients

Question 42

what are low due to limited plant growth

Answer 42

NPP and photosynthesis

Question 43

what compensates for the short growing season

Answer 43

long daylight hours

Question 44

what are the results of low temperatures and water logging on the carbon cycle

Answer 44

slow decomposition and respiration

Question 45

what size is the flow of CO2 to the atmosphere in the tundra

Answer 45

small

Question 46

why do rock porosity and mineral composition have little influence on the carbon and water cycles

Answer 46

the impermeability of the tundra

Question 47

when and where was oil and gas discovered in the tundra

Answer 47

Prudhoe Bay - 1968

Question 48

why is it difficult for oil and gas industries to function in the tundra

Answer 48

extreme cold long periods of darkness poor accessibility

Question 49

what was oil and gas production in the tundra driven by

Answer 49

high global energy prices and the US government's policy to reduce dependence on oil imports

Question 50

by the early 1990s the North Slope of Alaska accounted for how much of the USA's domestic oil production

Answer 50

1/4

Question 51

how much USA oil does the North Slope of Alaska contribute to today

Answer 51

6%

Question 52

why has oil and gas production in Alaska declined

Answer 52

high production costs and growth of the US oil shale industry

Question 53

why does the melting of the permafrost make flooding more likely

Answer 53

increases run off and river discharge

Question 54

what process increases because summer wetlands are becoming more extensive

Answer 54

evaporation

Question 55

what is the effect of mining sand and gravel

Answer 55

artificial lakes that disrupt drainage and cause furhter melting

Question 56

what human activity disrupts drainage

Answer 56

road construction seismic explosions to prospect for oil and gas

Question 57

what human activity reduces run off

Answer 57

abstracting water from creeks and rivers

Question 58

why is the permafrost melting

Answer 58

construction and infrastructure diffusing heat dust reducing albedo so more sunlight absorbed removal of insulating vegetation cover

Question 59

what gasses does melting release

Answer 59

CO2 and CH4

Question 60

how much CO2 is estimated to be lost due to melting

Answer 60

7-40 million tonnes a year

Question 61

what human activities in the tundra input CO2 to the atmosphere

Answer 61

gas flaring and oil spills

Question 62

what is the result of loss of vegetation on the carbon cycle

Answer 62

reduces photosynthesis so less CO2 fixed by plants

Question 63

what process in the carbon cycle increases due to melting

Answer 63

decomposition

Question 64

why does tundra vegetation take decades to recover

Answer 64

slow growing

Question 65

what management strategy goes under roads to prevent melting

Answer 65

insulated ice and gravel pads

Question 66

what management strategy allows cold air to circulate beneath structures

Answer 66

elevate buildings and pipelines on piles

Question 67

what management strategy allows oil and gas to be accessed several km from the drilling site, and why is this good

Answer 67

drilling laterally - less construction sites are needed

Question 68

what management strategy means that fewer exploration wells are needed

Answer 68

more powerful computers detect oil and gas remotely

Question 69

what management strategy is used on the Trans-Alaska pipeline

Answer 69

refrigerated supports

Question 70

why are the management strategies also pragmatic

Answer 70

melting permafrost causes widespread damage to buildings and roads