Tundra/ The Ice Caps/ Highlands Flashcards
What does “Tundra” mean?
A treeless plain
What is the geography of a tundra?
Mostly well above 60 degrees in the North. Not found in the southern hemisphere
Where is the tundra found?
At high latitudes (arctic tundra) and high altitudes (alpine tundra)
In the tundra, what is the mean max temperature?
Barely over freezing
Is there a lot of precipitation in the tundra? Why or why not?
No, because cold air cannot hold much moisture
What do low temperatures in the tundra mean? What happens to the soil?
Permafrost.
Soil below surface that stays permanently frozen
-surface soil goes through freeze/thaw cycles
What does the tundra lack in terms of vegetation?
Trees, due to mainly short growing season and permafrost (deters roots)
What does permafrost mean for trees? Where does a treeline occur?
defines where trees grow, treeline occurs where continuous permafrost is present
What does melting permafrost do to the ground?
It collapses ground
What kind of plants live in the tundra? Why?
Low growing plants (grass, mosses, lichens, low shrubs) are adapted to low temps, wind, poor drainage
What are some characteristics of tundra vegetation?
- simple structure
- low biomass
- low diversity
For animals, what kind of adaption is good for the tundra?
a large body size is a good adaptation for cold temperatures
What groups of animals do not live in the tundra and why?
Reptiles and amphibians are rare or absent because they are cold blooded, and their body temperature depends on outside conditions
What are human activities and impacts like in the Tundra?
Relatively Low
Why are human activities bad in the tundra?
It is a fragile habitat that is not well able to repair itself
What are the great negative human impacts on the tundra?
Mining and Oil Drilling. It causes ground and water pollution, especially oil spills
What are tundra areas rich in? Why is this bad?
Minerals! It can pollute ground and water.
What is a big problem for animals in the tundra?
Overhunting by humans
What is the newest threat to tundras? Who does it affect?
Climatic warming and melting polar ice threatens polar bears, some seals, and indigenous cultures
What do many scientists see the arctic as, in terms of global warming?
Many scientists see the Arctic as the “canary in a coal mine” for the earth.
What is the landscape like poleward of the Arctic tundra?
Just ice!
What is the geography of the ice caps?
Antarctica and Greenland
What is the climate like in the ice caps?
NO months above freezing, almost no precipitation! Polar deserts!
What is the geography of highland climates?
It is too complex for global scale maps. Distributed on every continent minus australia and antarctica
