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In physical geography, tundra (/ ˈ t ʌ n d r ə, ˈ t ʊ n-/) is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: Arctic tundra, [2] alpine tundra, [2] and Antarctic tundra. [3] Tundra vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges, grasses ...
The tundra is one of the first places on Earth we have noted the effects of climate change. As an indicator biome, the tundra is a crucial part of the whole global climate system and can help predict the changes the rest of the world will face.
The short (3–4 month) growing season in boreal forests is sustained by greater levels of rainfall than the tundra receives (between 30 and 85 cm or 12 and 33 in per year). This biome is dominated by closed canopy forests of evergreen conifers, especially spruces, fir, pine and tamarack with some diffuse-porous hardwoods.
Tundra ecosystems developed in the Northern Hemisphere toward the end of the Pliocene (3.6 ma), prior to this point the Arctic was predominantly covered with forests and shrublands which extended northward to the coastline of the Arctic Ocean. However, during the middle Pleistocene this vegetation pattern shifted to a graminoid tundra steppe. [18]
The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." [15] There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, [16] alpine tundra, [16] and Antarctic tundra [17] In tundra, the vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens. Scattered trees grow ...
Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets lower until it reaches sea level, and alpine tundra merges with polar tundra .
The Kalaallit Nunaat high arctic tundra ecoregion covers the coastal areas of northern including the upper half of the west coast and the upper one-third of the east coast. [1] Greenland (called Kalaallit Nunaat in the Greenlandic language). Areas inland of this strip of land are either covered in ice or bare rock.
As ecosystems age this supply diminishes, making phosphorus-limitation more common in older landscapes (especially in the tropics). [20]: 287–290 Calcium and sulfur are also produced by weathering, but acid deposition is an important source of sulfur in many ecosystems. Although magnesium and manganese are produced by weathering, exchanges ...