Climate of the tundra in Russia and North America

The globe is very large, and naturally, its climatic conditions are significantly different. This factor has a significant impact on flora and fauna, makes life difficult in the region. So, the climate of the tundra is one of the most severe and difficult for existence.

Geographical location of the tundra

In North America , the tundra zone is located along the entire coast of the extreme north of the continental continent. It occupies most of the territory of Greenland, the Canadian Archipelago and reaches the 60th parallel. This is due to the cold breath of the Arctic Ocean.

In Russia, the tundra occupies about 15% of the entire territory of the state. It extends along the coast of the Arctic Ocean with a relatively narrow strip. However, in some places it occupies more extensive territories. These regions include the island of Taimyr, Chukotka. Despite the desolation of land and the scarcity of vegetation, various representatives of the fauna live in the tundra.

Zonal division of the tundra

Under the general name of "tundra" there are four different subzones. This is due to the different terrain, the location of the zones and the proximity or remoteness of the oceans or mountains. The climate of the tundra varies in each subzone. There is the following conditional division:

• Arctic deserts;
• Typical tundra;
• Forest-tundra;
• Mountain tundra.

Despite the fact that the climate of the tundra and forest-tundra is softer compared to the arctic deserts, it is so severe that the regions have a very poor animal and plant world.

Arctic deserts

The zone of the Arctic deserts is located in North America and is characterized by the most severe climatic conditions. In Russia, this subzone does not exist. Summer lasts only a few weeks. Winter lasts more than six months. In the winter, the sun hardly leaves the horizon. The wind reaches a hurricane force.

Winter temperatures often drop to -60 ° C. The average temperature during the short summer does not exceed +5 ° C. Atmospheric precipitation is very small - for a year just drops out 500 mm. Vegetation consists of mosses and lichens, which cover the earth with islets. In the summer, this subzone turns into a swamp. This is due to the low evaporation of water in this period. Moreover, the permafrost does not allow it to penetrate deep into it.

Nevertheless, the zone of arctic deserts is an important area for the reproduction of animals and birds. In spring, geese, eiders, guillemots, dead ends, waders appear, seals, walruses, polar bears, musk oxen survive on the coast. You can also meet lemmings and wolves, which they hunt.

Typical tundra

The climate of the tundra, which belongs to this subzone, is also very severe, but in comparison with the arctic deserts it is still softer. The summer temperature can reach +10 ° C, the winter temperature is -50 ° C. The snow cover is shallow and dense. Spring comes in May, winter begins in October. In the summer months, snowfalls are possible, because of the permafrost there are many streams, puddles, lakes, marshes. They are shallow and easy to move on sledges. Winter is characterized by strong winds and snowstorms. The cover of the vegetation is continuous, mainly mosses and lichens.

In the direction to the south, you can find small shrub thickets of blueberry, ledum, cranberries, kassandra. On the banks of rivers and lakes you can see sedge bushes, dwarf willows and birches, alder, juniper. Such a climate of the tundra of Russia extends south to the isotherm of July +10. In these harsh conditions live constantly polar owls, partridges, reindeer, wolves, lemmings, ermines and foxes. In some regions there are moose.

Arctic deserts smoothly pass into the second climatic subzone. The climate of the tundra in North America does not differ from the Russian one. The same poor soils (peaty-gley, tundra-gley, and cryogenic-marshy), strong winds and high frosts do not allow plants of great height to develop and develop a root system. However, the spaces covered with moss and lichen serve as reindeer pastures both in America and in Russia.

Forest Tundra

The more south the territory is, the warmer the climate becomes. Solid spaces of moss, lichens and stunted plants on which parts of high trees begin to appear, such a climate zone is called a forest-tundra. It stretches across the whole of North America, and in Eurasia - from the Kola Peninsula to Indigirka. The climate of the tundra in this subzone allows both the flora and fauna to be more widespread.

Winter temperatures reach -40 ° C, summer temperatures reach +15 ° C. Annual precipitation amounts to only 450 mm. The snow cover is uniform, it keeps on the ground for about 9 months. There are more precipitations than fumes, so the soils are predominantly peat-gley, peaty-marsh, in some regions gley-podzolic. For the same reason, many lakes are common.

Of plants, other than typical for the typical tundra, there are balsamic fir, spruce, Siberian larch, warty birch. Rivers have a mitigating effect on the climate. Due to this, low trees along the banks penetrate the tundra. In addition to typical for the tundra, there are such species of animals as the white partridge, shrews, arctic fox.

Mountain tundra

This is a separate subzone, which occurs in high mountains in those places where plains covered with forest surround rocks and ridges. The mountain tundra is widespread in the mountains of the Northeast of Russia, Southern Siberia, in Tibet, on the Pacific coast of North America, the highlands of the Davis Strait, on the Brooks Range, the Alaska Range and so on.

The climate of the tundra in the mountains is characterized by strong winds, low temperatures, permafrost, and the absence of snow cover in open areas. The subzone begins from the border of the forest and ends at the border of the snow line on the peaks. Closer to tall trees grow shrubs of willow and alders. The closer to the upper level, the more terrain covered with grasses, half-shrubs, mosses and lichens.

Despite the harsh climate of the tundra, this natural area is a rich hunting ground. It is under these conditions that species of flora and fauna that do not occur in other regions live and reproduce. Some of their species are listed in the Red Book. In addition, the tundra is rich in natural resources, the production of which increases every year, despite the climate.