THE 9 MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TUNDRA - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The most prominent characteristics of the tundra are cold climate, low biodiversity, and large population swings. The tundra is a vast, mostly treeless, cold-land region found primarily north of the Arctic Circle (arctic tundra) or above the treeline in high mountains (alpine tundra).

It is known for large expanses of bare terrain and rock and for uneven blankets of low vegetation such as mosses, lichens, grasses and small shrubs. This area supports a small but unique variety of animals.

The Finns called their treeless north tunturi, but the concept of a vast frozen plain as a special ecological kingdom called tundra was developed by the Russians.

The tundra is the coldest of all biomes, occupying one-tenth of the world's main land. It stands out for its landscapes shaped by frost, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients and short growing seasons.

Main characteristics of the tundra

1- Extremely cold weather

In the tundra, temperatures are cold throughout the year. Only two seasons are distinguished: winter, which lasts most of the year, and with temperatures that reach -20 to -30 ºC; and a very short and cold summer, which tends to be around 5ºC on average.

In both seasons the thermal variations are very marked, even exceeding 20 ºC. Strong cyclonic winds are also frequent and the level of precipitation tends to be low.

2- Daylight variation

The Arctic tundra receives a limited amount of sunlight. Depending on the latitude, the sun can stay below the horizon for up to two months, leaving the tundra in darkness.

During the summer, however, the sun remains in the sky 24 hours a day, but as long as it stays close to the horizon, it provides only low-intensity sunlight. It is for this characteristic that it is called "the land of the midnight sun."

3- Low biotic diversity

The tundra is low in its biotic diversity, and only the strongest organisms can survive in those conditions. The species that inhabit the tundra are adapted to cope with long and cold winters, reproduce and take care of their young during the summer.

Animals like mammals and birds also have extra fat stores. Many animals hibernate during the winter because food is not abundant. Another alternative is to migrate south in the winter, as birds do.

Reptiles and amphibians are few or absent due to the extremely cold temperatures. In the Arctic, the populations of caribou, arctic hares, squirrels, foxes, wolves and polar bears stand out, as well as migratory birds, insects and fish (salmon, cod, trout).

4- The soil is permafrost

Soil forms slowly and, due to low temperatures, has a permanently frozen layer of subsoil called permafrost, which is mainly made up of gravel and finer material.

5- Limitation of drainage

Water cannot seep through the ground due to permafrost and very often accumulates on the surface forming swampy areas and ponds.

6- Simple structure of vegetation

During the short summer, only a top layer of soil thaws, no more than 30 cm deep.

Under these conditions only the most resistant plants can grow. Typical tundra vegetation is made up of grasses and shrubs, lacking the taller trees with deeper roots that are so common further south.

7- Short growing and reproduction season

The tundra is characterized by the minimal presence of trees, due to the adverse conditions (strong and persistent wind), the permafrost, which limits the amount of nutrients in the soil, in addition to the shortness of summer that offers only a short season of growth for vegetation.

Although there are few trees in the tundra, there is a smaller variety of vegetation that grows in this environment and that has developed important adaptations that have made it possible for them to survive under such extreme conditions.

Commonly found plants include dwarf shrubs, grasses, mosses, and lichens, which have developed the ability to remain dormant during winter, to save energy and reserve it for the most flattering, warmer months, with summer being their growth and flowering period..

Plants can carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures and with very low light intensity.

8- Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material

Dead organic material works like a nutrient bog. The two main nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is created by biological fixation and phosphorus is created by precipitation.

9- Large population swings

Due to the constant immigration and emigration of animals, the population fluctuates continuously.

During the summer, when the most superficial ice of the tundra begins to melt, it becomes soggy land, being, together with the lakes, the ideal home for more than a hundred different species of birds that reach the tundra and the coast from the Arctic to breed during those weeks.

These swampy areas also promote the development and proliferation of insects, especially mosquitoes. A wide variety of animals arrive to feed on the plants that re-emerge during the summer.

This biome historically had very low human population densities, so there has been little effect on terrestrial plant communities until recent times, when advanced technology has allowed more intensive use of the land for purposes such as oil extraction.

Oil spills, chemical pollution and climate change have been disrupting the permafrost and causing it to melt.

Types of tundra

The arctic tundra

It is found in the northern hemisphere, circling the north pole and extending south into the coniferous forests of the taiga. The Arctic is known for its cold and desert conditions.

Alpine tundra

For its part, it is found in high altitude mountains, in different parts of the world, where trees cannot grow. Unlike the arctic tundra, the soil in the alpine is well drained.

Antarctic tundra

It is very similar to Arctic tundra, only it is found in Antarctica and its surrounding islands such as the Falkland Islands.

References

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