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Average summer temperatures range from 37 °F (3 °C) to 60 °F (16 °C). The tundra is very much like a desert in terms of precipitation. Yearly average precipitation varies by region, but generally, there is only about 6–10 inches (150–250 mm) of precipitation per year, and in some regions, it can have up to 20 inches (510 mm).
Rainfall in the Canadian Arctic has increased by more than 20% in the last decades. However, the degree of rainfall increase is subject to variation from one location to the next. For example, in Resolute, Nunavut in the period of 1948 to 2007, there was a 48% increase in rainfall recorded with an average of 13.6 mm (0.54 in) of rain per decade.
[26]: 51 The cold climate of the alpine tundra is caused by the low air temperatures, and is similar to polar climate. Alpine tundra is generally better drained than arctic soils. [7] Alpine tundra transitions to subalpine forests below the tree line; stunted forests occurring at the forest-tundra ecotone (the treeline) are known as Krummholz.
Average precipitation ranges from 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in), [43] and the permafrost can be "several hundred meters" thick. [42] Plant species supported by tundra are generally short, lacking stems due to threats posed to vascular structure by frozen temperatures, and much of their growing matter is found below the soil. [44]
The Arctic is rapidly changing from the climate crisis, with no "new normal," scientists warn. Wildfires and permafrost thaw are making the tundra emit more carbon than it absorbs. From beaver ...
Papaver radicatum (arctic poppy), a flowering plant of the Arctic tundra follows the sun around the sky during the 24-hour daylight of summer north of the Arctic Circle. Changing climate conditions are amplified in polar regions and northern high-latitude areas are projected to warm at twice the rate of the global average. [1]
The last nine years in the Arctic have all had the highest average temperatures recorded since 1900. That dynamic is the result of a phenomenon called Arctic amplification.
A tundra climate is characterized by having at least one month whose average temperature is above 0 °C (32 °F), while an ice cap climate has no months averaging above 0 °C (32 °F). [2] In a tundra climate, even coniferous trees cannot grow, but other specialized plants such as the arctic poppy can grow. In an ice cap climate, no plants can ...