The Arctic Tundra
By: Brianna Upton, Athena Anderson
and Jasper Charles
Tundra Weather
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Extremely low temps.
Summer: 37-54 degrees F.
Winter: Average of 30 degrees F.
Cold dessert like conditions.
Only 6-10 inches of rain a year, including
melted snow.
• White outs happen occasionally.
Plant Life in the Tundra
• Growing season only last 50 – 60 days.
• Plants grow close to the ground and close
together for heat.
• Lichen is a common fungus found on the
rocks, Caribou and Oxen love to eat it.
• Many plants have dark red leaves to attract
sunlight.
• Shrubs can grow when soil accumulates
between rocks.
Plants Life Cont.
• 1,700 + kinds of plants in the Arctic.
• All plants are adapted to harsh winds and hard
and poor nutrition soil.
• The plants can carry out photosynthesis in low
light and low temps.
• There are no deep root systems because the
soil is lacking nutrients and the second layer is
completely frozen.
Zoology: Arctic Fox
• Arctic fox: Scavenger
follows the polar bears in
hopes finding food.
• Weight: 12-6 lbs.
• Length: between 10-16
inches long.
• Description: short legs,
bushy tail, fur is white
during the winter and a
blue gray color in
summer.
Zoology: Caribou
• Caribou: 5 million
caribou(estimate)
herbivore.
• Weight: bulls- avg. 350-400
lbs. females- 175- 225
• Height: 34-55.
• Description: short legs,
brown fur, hooves support
the animal in the winter and
marshy tundra in the
summer.
• Can travel up to 50 miles a
day.
Zoology: Polar Bears
• Polar bears: carnivores.
• Weight: females- 660770 lbs. and males880-990 lbs.
• Height: 8-11 ft.
• Description: black nose
and eyes, two layers of
fur, white fur, black
rubbery skin.
Geography of the Tundra
• Covers 1/5 of the worlds surface.
• Cold, treeless area, worlds coldest Biome.
• In Greenland, Alaska, Northern Russia and
Canada have a Tundra.
• Tundra is a Finnish word meaning “treeless plain”.
• Permafrost layer of soil never thaws.
• No deep root system, but water is absorbed to
provide moisture for plant life.
Human Influences
• Arctic: The human influence would be
Pollution. There is an oil development near
breeding grounds of the Siberian Crane
pollutes the wetlands. Disturbance to birds
nesting grounds, people move in, making the
animals move out. Hunting of birds in the
area. Lead shot poisoning. Hunters shoot
these shots and then later found in the
bottom of water bodies and waterfowls.
Picture Citations
• http://www.scientificamerican.com/media/inl
ine/no-polar-bear-climate-regulation_1.jpg
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons/f/fd/Caribou.jpg
• http://www.anwr.org/gallery/images/08Arctic%20Fox.jpg
Bibliography
• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biom
es/tundra.php
• http://www.mbgnet.net/
• http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/biometun
dra.htm
•
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/t
undra/tundra.shtml
Bibliography Cont.
• http://www.beaconschool.org/~edugan/tundr
alocation.html
• http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/main.
php?section=biomes&topic=tundra&subtopic
=location
• http://www.birdlife.org/action/science/specie
s/asia_strategy/pdf_downloads/wetlandsWO1
.pdf