Arctic Tundra, Research Paper Example

The term tundra is thought to derive from the Finnish language “tunturia” which translates to a “tree-less plain”. This biome characteristic helps to describe the arctic tundra. In the development zones coming from the other biomes like the taiga biome, dwarfed shrubs and trees are all that grow. Another element that helps to describe the vegetation found in the arctic tundra is the existence of hailstone ice or a layer of a permanently frozen plain found just under the surface.

The arctic tundra biome is actually the youngest biome of them all. It was developed nearly 10 thousand years ago. Arctic Tundra biome locations are mostly at latitudes of 55° to 70° north. The arctic tundra is an ample as well as tree-less plain which accounts for nearly 20 percent of the Earth’s surface area. This biome circumnavigates the North Pole. The temperature is most often very cold, and the land is very simple and plain. Nearly all arctic tundra lands can be found in the Northern Hemisphere. Smaller tundra-like ranges are present in Antarctica throughout the Southern Hemisphere, but this is only because temperatures are much colder than that of the Arctic where the surface is usually always covered with ice and snow. Conditions however are not exactly right for a real form of tundra as the average annual temperatures are -70°F.

The surface of arctic tundra grounds are permanently frozen about 10 inches to 3 feet under, so this makes it impossible for trees to grow here. The simple and sometimes rocky plains can only sustain lower class plants such as moss, grass, and bog. It is mostly cold and dark in the winter time and in the summer time, the snow and the surface layer of frost melts. This makes it is very muggy. The arctic tundra is covered with swamps, lakes, and streams that serve as breeding grounds for thousands of species of insects. This attracts the attention of many birds in migration.

Considering a relative scale, the biome of arctic tundra consists of a rather low bio-diversity. There are approximately 1,700 species of plants that can sustain life in this biome zone. There are pretty much no amphibians or reptiles as conditions are just too cold for them. Adversely there are just 48 land mammals that live in the arctic tundra biome. Even though this biome zone has so few species of plant and animals, the number of individual creatures found within each species makes the arctic tundra biome a substantial home for parts of the year, particularly in the summer time. A good example of this is the herds of the birds in migration.

The arctic tundra is mostly a desert in regards to precipitation. There are only about 6 – 10 inches of rain fall each year; and most of this is snow anyways. During the brief summers, the surface layer of soil sometimes thaws out just long enough for any existing plants to grow and reproduce. Because water cannot sink into the ground, water from the melting frost and snow can form lakes and bogs every summer.

There is not much human use for the arctic biome as it is not a reasonable ground for vegetation. However, it does serve as one of the Earth’s major carbon dioxide plummets. The arctic tundra also plays a role in the issue of global warming. With global temperatures rising, the arctic tundra will withstand major fluctuations that may end up serving as a positive effect concerning the phenomenon of global warming.