The Tundra Biome: Characteristics and Features
The Tundra biome that will be focused on in this report is the Alpine Tundra, in North America. The Tundra is defined as a flat, treeless Arctic region in which the subsoil is permanently frozen. The Tundra biome has been significantly beneficial for human resources for the last 10,000 years. Altering the Tundra to meet these human requirements has consequently created many environmental impacts on its climate, vegetation, and landscape. During this presentation, implemented strategies to protect the Tundra and maintain human inhabitance will be addressed.
The Tundra is a distinctive biome that has a significant distribution of vegetation, productivity, and a commonly frigid climate. The mountaintop location causes the climate to be cold and windy, and the ground is usually frozen or moist. The permanently frozen surface causes little precipitation. The average annual temperature in the Tundra is -16 degrees Celsius. Vegetation that exists in the Tundra is Arctic Moss, Lichens, and mushrooms. Several animals found in the Tundra are sheep, mountain goats, and birds. These animals consume low-lying plants. Humans used the Tundra vegetation for consuming many wild berries and edible plants such as lichens and mushrooms. The connection between the climate and the vegetation is that the cold climate and the permanently wet soil decrease the grass and trees in the region. The productivity in the Tundra consists of many resources for human use. The resources located in the Tundra are; oil, natural gas, and uranium. The connection between climate and productivity is that there are no natural resources due to the cold climate and frozen soil. The resources consist of energy resources and mineral resources.
Humans have used the Tundra landscape for thousands of years to produce food, industrial materials, and fibers. This impact has created a negative impact on the surrounding environment and ecosystem. The mountain goats are hunted to produce food and the fibers of their wool are used to produce clothing for humans. The overhunting of the endangered mountain goats resulted in their near eradication. The overhunting of species has had environmental impacts such as adding animals to the endangered list, negatively altering the food chain, and making the distribution of consumers and producers unbalanced. Oil drilling, over-development, and climate change are industrial impacts that are affecting the Tundra landscape. Oil drilling contaminates the water, land, and surrounding air. It has negatively impacted the environment because the harmful gases released have caused many animals to either die or flee the Tundra. Over-development of building roads and structures has negatively affected the environment because the small and delicate plants can be easily disturbed and killed. Without these plants, the earth quickly erodes and could destroy the entire biome. Global Warming has also negatively impacted the Tundra biome because the heated temperatures will melt the glaciers and flood the Tundra landscape, killing copious organisms.
Proposed strategies will be provided to protect the Tundra for future generations and maintain human benefits. The Tundra’s melting glaciers are a major problem produced by Global Warming. Scientists have proposed several solutions to directly prevent the melting of the Tundra glaciers. Solution 1 involves pumping cold water above the glaciers in the hope of this water freezes and enlarges the current glaciers. The consequences of this solution are that it will be costly and temporary. Solution 2 is creating walls of sand and rock barriers at the base of the glaciers to prevent ice sheets from collapsing and prevent warm water from eroding the ice. The consequences of this solution are that it will disturb wildlife and the glaciers' natural movement. The specific strategies that the public can do to decrease the effect of Global Warming are driving as little as by using public transport or a bike, taking shorter showers, turning off lights and switches when not in use, and using a clothesline instead of a dryer. These little things will make a significant impact if performed on a large scale. These mindful strategies still allow humans to enjoy Tundra resources and the environment by improving their carbon footprint. This will reduce the impact of Global warming and lessen the melting of the Tundra Glaciers.
In conclusion, the Tundra is a distinctive biome that is being severely damaged by the human effect of Global Warming. If we perform the implemented strategies on a large scale, we can protect the Tundra environment for wildlife and future generations.
