Canadian Terrestrial Eco zones
By: Kim
Map of Canada’s Ecozones
Long Winters and
short summers
Precipitation of
Less than 200 mm
Characteristics
Arctic Cordillera Ecozone
It ranges from the northeastern
parts of Nunavut to the northern
- The
north of the Arctic
parts
of Quebec
Cordilleran is cold and dry
Throughout the year
- Where the ice caps are
located
Basically no growing
season in this ecozone
This ecozone consists
Of a range of mountains
- The south of this
ecozone is more fortunate
having a more humid
climate and cool summers
with long hours of sunlight
- Where the glaciers are
located
Overview of the Land
• Main landform is mountains
• Changes in elevation
• Approximately 75% of this ecozone is exposed bedrock
• The other 25% is glaciers and ice fields
➥This is the ultimate landscape for Nunatak
• Soil in this area is limited and is a type of soil known as cryosolic soils
➥ With these factors the land only supports herbaceous vegetation
Positive
• This ecozone has a protected park called “Quttinirpaaq National Park”
which includes 7 fjords, a variety of glaciers and the world’s largest lake
north of the Arctic Circle called “Lake Hazen”
• Contains unique icy scenery
Negative
Temperatures can reach as low as -40C and within a year there are 10 months
of inhospitable weather cold enough to keep water frozen. Therefore, with so
little frost-free days in this region, the area can only support herbaceous tundra
vegetation. People in this region have to hunt, fish and trap for survival leaving
them deprived of vitamins C and D and more that crops provide.
Human Activities
Only about a thousand people live in this 196,235 km2
(75,767 sq mi) island.
•
•
•
•
Hunting
Trapping
Fishing
A little bit of gas and oil exploration
Interesting Points
Geographic Issue
» World’s tenth largest
island and Canada’s
third largest island
» Covers 2.5% of
Canada
» This ecozone is known
for its unique and
broad ice and
mountains however,
due to global warming
in the 20th century the
Ellesmere Ice shelf
reduced by 90% (this
covered the Northwest
coast of Ellesmere
Island)
Overall
-
Small area
Has a small population
Very Cold
Little plants and animal species
Not much resources
Untouched Land
Thank you for listening
Bibliography
http://www.arctic.uoguelph.ca/cpe/environments/land/a_cordil
lera/a_cordillera.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Cordillera
http://dictionary.reference.com
http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/ecozones/arcticco
rdillera/arcticcordillera.htm
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/naturalregions/
http://google.ca/imghp
http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/ecozones/ecozon
esimagemap.gif
http://nsidc.org/data/docs/fgdc/ggd311_cryosols_canada/
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nunatak
Inhospitable
[in-hos-pi-tuh-buhl]
Not offering shelter or favourable conditions, etc.; barren
Herbaceous
[hur-bey-shuhs]
These plants are herb-like and leafy
back
Nunatak
[nuhn-uh-tak]
a hill or mountain that has been completely encircled by a glacier
back
Cryosolic Soils
[khray- oh- sawh-lik]
Is soil with minerals or organic materials that is at least 1 metre frozen
back