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Geography - A LEVEL > Tundra - P > Flashcards

Tundra - P Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the tundra

A

tundra is a biome which is treeless and usually barren land. It is the coldest and harshest of all biomes

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2
Q

What are the two types of tundra

A

alpine
Arctic

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3
Q

Where do alpine tundras occur

A

on mountains where trees cannot grow in the high altitudes

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4
Q

How long is the growing season in an alpine tundra

A

around 180 days

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5
Q

What plants and animals exist in alpine tundras

A

mountain goats, sheep, marmots and birds feed on low-lying plants and insects

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6
Q

Where do arctic tundras occur

A

from the edge of the Arctic Ocean down to the coniferous forest of the Taiga

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7
Q

How long is the growing season in the arctic tundra

A

50-60 days (During the short summer)

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8
Q

why can tress not root in the arctic tundra

A

as the permafrost prevents trees taking root

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9
Q

What plants and animals exist in the arctic tundra

A

arctic foxes, polar bears and caribou

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10
Q

What are the effects a of arctic permafrost melting

A
  • it alters which planets and animals can live there
  • it contains 14% of the earths carbon which is released due to melting
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11
Q

What is the distribution of tundra environments

A

-It covers 8 million km2
-Found in high latitude land masses just below the ice caps of their arctic but north of the arctic circle (66 N)

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12
Q

What is the climate of a tundra like

A

cold and dry climate:
Low ppt
Low temps

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13
Q

What is the annual precipitation in a tundra

A

150-250mm so are considered deserts

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14
Q

What is the winter average temperature of a tundra

A

-34 degrees C with lowest being 40 degrees C

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15
Q

How long will it be below 0 degrees C in the tundra

A

for 6-10 months a year

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16
Q

What are the maximum temperatures seen in the tundra

A

16 degrees C in August

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17
Q

What type of plants grow in the tundra

A

Ground vegetation - made of shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichens

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18
Q

Do trees grow in the tundra

A

No

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19
Q

Why does vegetation need to be adapted

A

to withstand the tundra conditions e.g. up to 15cm high to avoid wind chill

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20
Q

How many land mammals live in the tundra

A

48 land mammals

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21
Q

Where is water usually stored in the tundra

A

In ice sheets and permafrost

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22
Q

What happens to I melting ice in the summer

A

the water pools forming lakes & ponds due to water not being able to infiltrate frozen ground

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23
Q

What is the net primary productivity in the tundra

A

200g/m2/yr

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24
Q

Why is the NPP of the tundra so low

A

as there is extremely slow decomposition due to a lack of organic matter

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25
Q

Why are there limited rates of photosynthesis and respiration in the tundra

A

because there is a lack of vegetation & animals and a short growing season

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26
Q

What are the soil stores of carbon in the tundra

A

1700Gt - within permafrost

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27
Q

What happens when permafrost in the tundra melts

A

The carbon stored in it is released

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28
Q

How long is carbon stored in permafrost

A

For 500,000 years or until the ice Melts

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29
Q

How much carbon is stored in the atmosphere globally

A

750Gt globally

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30
Q

How much carbon is stored in the atmosphere above 60N

A

125 Gt

31
Q

How much of the Earths oceans does the arctic account for

A

3%

32
Q

How much of the oceans carbon uptake is from the arctic ocean

A

5 to 14% - as colder oceans can take up more CO2 as it dissolves more easily

33
Q

What are the three physical factors of the tundra environment

A
  • Geology
  • Relief
  • Wind
34
Q

What is the geology of the tundra

A

the underlying rock is made-up of largely crystalline, impermeable rocks with some glacial deposits

35
Q

What is the relief of the tundra

A

often very flat, with little relief meaning water tends to form ponds, bogs, marshes and streams

36
Q

What is the wind of the tundra

A

the tundra tends to be windy, with winds blowing of upwards of 50-100km/h

37
Q

What is freeze-thaw

A

the process where water continually seeps into cracks, freezes and expands causing rock to break apart

38
Q

Which months in the tundra is there freeze/thaw

A

Winter - just freeze
Summer - just thaw
In between - freeze & thaw.

39
Q

What is cyroturbation

A

the mixing of soils by the freezing and thawing of ground ice

40
Q

What is permafrost

A

is the permanently frozen layer on or under the Earth’s surface

41
Q

How cold does frozen ground worlds have to be to be permafrost

A

below 0 degrees for at least 2 years

42
Q

What is the range of thickness of permafrost in the tundra

A

1m to 1,500 m in thickness

43
Q

Does the tundra store more carbon than the Amazon Rainforest

A

yes

44
Q

How much of the worlds moveable carbon is in tundra soils

A

around 1/3

45
Q

How much of the worlds soil carbon stores are in the tundra

A

half of the worlds carbon soil stores

46
Q

What happens to the tundras carbon rich soils as the ice melts

A

the soils could start to decompose which would release methane and CO2

47
Q

Which biome is changing the fastest

A

the tundra

48
Q

How do researchers see how much carbon plats store

A

They measure plants

49
Q

Why are most tundra climates found N of the Arctic circle

A

Insulation is dispersed over a large area making temperatures lower

50
Q

Where are alpine tundras mainly found

A

the Himalayas and tree Andes

51
Q

What is the tree line

A

where the altitude is so high that trees cannot survive so the trees form a line where they stop growing

52
Q

How tall are most tundra plants

A

below 15cm tall - as its hard to survive

53
Q

What is unique about light levels in tundra environments

A

they are so far north they have long winter nights and summer days due to the Earth’s axis

54
Q

Why do some tundra plants have small, thick leaves

A

to conserve nutrients - they grow slowly

55
Q

Why do some tundra plants grow fast

A

they need to release seeds in the short growing season - die in cold months

56
Q

Why are drones used in the tundra

A

to take images showing the densities of plants

57
Q

What are the densities and types of plant data used for

A

they are used to give an indication of how much CO2 is fixed by the tundras plants

58
Q

Why is running water rare in tundra environments

A

it is usually kept in bogs or is frozen for most of the year

59
Q

Why does tundra land become saturated in the summer

A

because snow melts

60
Q

What happens to water in the tundra during winter

A

it freezes again

61
Q

What happens in areas of the tundra which do have running water

A

they move sediment downstream

62
Q

What happens to waterlogged soil in the tundra

A

anaerobic decomposition occurs so methane is produced in bubbles

63
Q

What happens as average temperature increase in the tundra

A

rates of evapotranspiration increase

64
Q

What is the NPP in the tundra

A

140g/m2/yr - very low

65
Q

Why is the NPP for the tundra so low

A

the plant matter is frozen

66
Q

What happens to frozen plant matter as ice retreats

A

the plant matter in this layer begin to decompose

67
Q

How much carbon doers the tundra contain (est.)

A

1600 gigatons of carbon

68
Q

What have scientists used to measure how temperatures and areas affect decomposition

A

burried teabags for a year and then measured the new mass

69
Q

What happens when melting leads to less ice surrounding the coast

A

there is more erosion of coastal areas as they are exposed to the sea for longer amounts of time - undercutting and mass movements

70
Q

What are thaw slumps

A

when sediments released from permafrost create rockslides

71
Q

As temperatures rise in the tundra what happens to the active layer

A

the active layer gets larger as more ground thaws every year

72
Q

What type of feedback loop is Arctic Amplification

A

positive feedback loop

73
Q

What is the process of Arctic amplification

A

a larger active layer - more decomposition - more C released - increases surface temp - melts more permafrost

74
Q

What is the negative loop starting with temperature rise

A

temp rise - more plat growth - remove CO2 - slows speed of climate change

Geography - A LEVEL (19 decks)

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