Location
The Northern Canadian tundra can be found in Nunavut, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, northeastern Manitoba, and northern Ontario, Quebec, and Labrador. In the maps below Alaska is shown as well because its country neighbours Canada.
World Distribution
Across the world there are three types of tundra. There is the Arctic, Alpine, and Antarctic tundra. In some cases the Antarctic tundra is combined into the Arctic category. This happens because even though they are at opposite poles of the earth, they are both considered "Arctic" poles. The Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere and around the Arctic Circle. It stretches across Alaska, Northern Canada, Greenland, parts of Northern Europe, and a large part of Northern Russia.
Climate
The climate of the Northern Canadian tundra is very cold, dry, and windy. Tundra biomes are typically covered with snow for most of the year. In the summer months (ranging from 50-60 days) the snow is melted and plants are able to grow. During this time, the sun shines for 24 hours each day. The tundras of the world all get low precipitation(rainfall), which is why the tundra biomes are sometimes referred to as the "polar desert".
The average temperature of the Northern Canadian tundra ranges from 3℃ to 12℃ in the summer months and -28℃ to -34℃ in the winter months. Extreme dips in the temperature can occur when the sun doesn't show over a course of many days during the winter. The tundras low precipitation levels cause the yearly rainfall total to range anywhere from 15-25 cm. Because it is so cold, the precipitation usually comes in the form of snow, which does not melt until the summer months. The precipitation level includes melting snow. From the high winds, to low temperatures, and to low precipitation levels, the tundra is considered a very harsh climate. The wind causes snow to blow around and later become hard-packed and icy. The low temperatures mean that soil is slow to form. There is a melt layer of soil that freezes and thaws each year. Below that there is a layer of permafrost, which stays frozen year round. |
The location of this biome affects its climate because the further north the location is from the equator the colder it will be. Precipitation levels also go down the further north or south the location is from the equator. The two of these factors combined create the harsh climate described above.
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Global warming and climate change affects the arctic tundra in Canada in many ways. The higher temperatures melt the snow, increasing the precipitation that the earth gets beneath the ice and snow. Areas of the tundra will eventually have different species of vegetation growing because of the climate change. More and more plants will be able to grow as the temperature continues to increase. The tundra has been changing more each year. As the fall freezing comes later then it once did, there is more time for the plants to continue growing. The permafrost is melting more each year. Because of these changes, new shrubs and spruce that couldn't root in the tundra before are now able to. This changes the habitat of the animals there. Another example is the arctic fox and the red fox. The warmer temperatures cause the red fox to travel up north into the arctic fox's territory. The red and arctic fox then have to fight for food and therefore lessens the population of both foxes.
The melting of the permafrost is contributing to global warming. The tundra would act as a "carbon sink" as carbon was caught in the dead plants inside the ice. As the ice melts, the plants are able to decompose and release the carbon trapped inside. This helped keep the amount of this greenhouse gas from being released into the atmosphere.
(Greenhouse gases are the gases carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapour, and ozone. A greenhouse gas is any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere. By increasing the heat in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases are responsible for the greenhouse effect, which ultimately leads to global warming.) "Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Causes & Sources." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
The melting of the permafrost is contributing to global warming. The tundra would act as a "carbon sink" as carbon was caught in the dead plants inside the ice. As the ice melts, the plants are able to decompose and release the carbon trapped inside. This helped keep the amount of this greenhouse gas from being released into the atmosphere.
(Greenhouse gases are the gases carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapour, and ozone. A greenhouse gas is any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere. By increasing the heat in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases are responsible for the greenhouse effect, which ultimately leads to global warming.) "Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Causes & Sources." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016.
Climatographs
Rainfall is shown by the blue bar graphs and temperature is shown by the red line graph.
Iqaluit, Nunavut
In this climatograph, the least amount of rainfall occurs in February with an average of 19mm and the greatest amount of rainfall occurs in August with an average of 62mm. The temperatures are lowest in February with an average of -27 °C. The temperatures are highest in July with an average of 7 °C. |
Inuvik, Northwest Territories
In this climatograph, the least amount on rainfall occurs in March with an average of 10mm and the greatest amount of rainfall occurs in August with an average of 41mm. The temperatures are lowest in January with an average of -28.2°C. The temperatures are highest in July with an average of 13.5°C. |
The arctic tundra biome affects the culture of these two cities and the way they live. The harsh climate influenced the way the people lived there. The Inuits way of life was influenced because of their surroundings. Their homes were made of ice and snow and they invented tools to help them survive. There are not many building materials in the tundra to make wood for homes but on the other hand for most of the year there is a supply of snow. They used this snow and ice to make igloos to live in. In the summer the Inuits lived in homes made of animal skins stretched over a frame.
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Nowadays the culture has changed as materials are able to be imported from other countries. To get around the Inuits would construct sleds out of animal bones and used dogs to pull them across the snow and ice. On the waters, they used kayaks. As there is not much food growing in the arctic tundra, the Inuits would fish and hunt for their food. They used tools and weapons made of animal bones. The clothing of the Inuits was made from animal skins and fur, keeping them warm from the cold climate. The Inuits traditions include mythology, story telling, and dancing. These traditions are still kept alive in modern times even though other parts of their culture have faded away, due to the materials available.
Physical Features
The Northern Canadian arctic tundra has a landscape that varies due to its location. The landscape ranges from large flatlands to rocky mountains. Further north and closer to the arctic permanent ice biome, the tundra changes into a flat landscape once again made up of ice and snow. The arctic tundra is considered to be a barren and sometimes rocky biome. There are no trees, just shrubs in the summer along with other plants that are able to thrive in the summer months. During these warmer months, the snow and soil above the permafrost melts. This creates(or adds to) the lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands. The landscape in the summer is barren, rocky, wet, and dotted with vegetation.
In the winter months, which is most of the year in the arctic tundra, the landscape is mostly snow covered. The landscape then becomes barren in a whole new way, flat and covered with snow, not plants. As the tundra freezes over, the wind picks up and blows the snow against the mountains. Now the snow on the mountains is hard-packed, icy sheets. The landscape of the arctic tundra biome changes dramatically depending on the season. The summer only lasts up to two months so for most of the year the arctic tundra's landscape is harsh and snow covered. |
In the arctic tundra the soil is very low in nutrients. The arctic tundra itself does not have many nutrients and minerals altogether, so the soil gets its nutrients from animal droppings. Below the soil, there is a layer of permanent frozen soil, ice and plants. This layer is called the permafrost because it stays frozen apart from melting from global warming. The soil layer above the permafrost, called the active layer, goes through a cycle of thawing and freezing each year. In the summer months the soil thaws and plants are able to grow. This layer of soil isn't very deep and stays frozen for most of the year. These reasons explain why trees and most plants cannot root in the tundra. Only the sturdiest and toughest plants are able to root here and manage to grasp into the thin soil layer.
Another feature of permafrost in the arctic tundra is that it's a "carbon sink". The plants take in carbon dioxide, then are trapped in the permafrost as it freezes over. The carbon dioxide remains there unless the permafrost melts. Global warming is causing the permafrost to melt and the extra carbon is being released into the atmosphere. |
Symbiosis
Symbiotic relationships are found all over the arctic tundra. The plants and animals that live there prove that there are many different symbiotic relationships in the tundra. The environment around them is very harsh so it means that the organisms have to rely on each other even more.
A good example of a symbiotic relationship is the lichen. Lichen is an organism made up of fungus and green algae. The fungus absorbs and stores water for both plants. The algae is able to produce energy for itself and the fungus through photosynthesis. Both the algae and the fungus benefit from this relationship, making it mutualism. Another example of a symbiotic relationship in the tundra is between the arctic fox and the caribou. The caribou digs holes in the ground in search for food. The arctic fox feeds in insects just below how far the caribou digs its holes. The fox follows the caribou and digs the holes further down to eat after the caribou has moved on. This is an example of commensalism because the fox benefits but the caribou does not. |
Page by Makenna Chow