ABIOTIC FACTORS
Non-living factors within the Arctic Tundra.
Atmosphere
Wind in the Tundra is often both very strong and cold due to the lack of forests and trees to buffer it as it sweeps over the plains of ice, These winds ensure that the plants growing in the Tundra remain small and low to the ground. During the Winter, these plants rely on being covered in snow to protect them from these winds. In other areas, where winds are stronger, caribou take refuge, as the wind exposed the shrubs below the snow. Not only does the wind provide these animals with food, but it also wards away unwanted pests such as mosquitoes.
At different times of the year, different amounts of sun light are provided. During the Winter, the Arctic Tundra can be left in absolute darkness with no sun light for up to two months. During the Summer, the sun shines continuously, 24 hours a day. However, the intensity of the light is never high and so the Tundra remains relatively dark. This is all because of the Arctic Tundra's location in the World and the latitude of the Tundra's position.
It's surprising that although the Arctic is essentially covered in frozen water, the amount of precipitation there is the same as that of a desert. Annually, around 6-10 inches of snow, rain and melted ice will be produced, and the air is also dry with low humidity. The low amount of rainfall does not cause large amounts of bogging and clogging of water due to the permafrost below the top layer of soil. Most precipitation occurs during the Summer, when some of the ice tends to melt.
The Arctic Tundra's average temperature is between -12 and -6°C, but during the Winter, when temperatures are lowest, the Arctic Tundra can average at around -35°C. During the Summer, they reach around 3-10°C. These temperatures are crucial to maintain as the animals and plants living there have adapted to them. Global Warming is causing temperatures around the globe to rise, including those in the Tundra. This is causing ice to melt, sea levels to rise, plants and animals to die, and the permafrost beneath the surface is in places beginning to melt. The Arctic Tundra's permafrost has a high content of carbon, and when melted releases that carbon into the Atmosphere in the forms of carbon dioxide and methane. For these reasons, the Arctic Tundra needs to remain at its normal temperatures.
At different times of the year, different amounts of sun light are provided. During the Winter, the Arctic Tundra can be left in absolute darkness with no sun light for up to two months. During the Summer, the sun shines continuously, 24 hours a day. However, the intensity of the light is never high and so the Tundra remains relatively dark. This is all because of the Arctic Tundra's location in the World and the latitude of the Tundra's position.
It's surprising that although the Arctic is essentially covered in frozen water, the amount of precipitation there is the same as that of a desert. Annually, around 6-10 inches of snow, rain and melted ice will be produced, and the air is also dry with low humidity. The low amount of rainfall does not cause large amounts of bogging and clogging of water due to the permafrost below the top layer of soil. Most precipitation occurs during the Summer, when some of the ice tends to melt.
The Arctic Tundra's average temperature is between -12 and -6°C, but during the Winter, when temperatures are lowest, the Arctic Tundra can average at around -35°C. During the Summer, they reach around 3-10°C. These temperatures are crucial to maintain as the animals and plants living there have adapted to them. Global Warming is causing temperatures around the globe to rise, including those in the Tundra. This is causing ice to melt, sea levels to rise, plants and animals to die, and the permafrost beneath the surface is in places beginning to melt. The Arctic Tundra's permafrost has a high content of carbon, and when melted releases that carbon into the Atmosphere in the forms of carbon dioxide and methane. For these reasons, the Arctic Tundra needs to remain at its normal temperatures.
Water
There isn't much water available in the Arctic Tundra throughout the year - in winter particularly. This means that the plants and animals living in this biome need to be able to survive without much fresh water at all. With around 6-10 inches of precipitation per year, including melted ice, the Arctic is as dry as a desert. However, much of the Arctic Tundra is surrounded by the ocean. Because of the melting of ice mixing with the salt water, and salt water freezing, the salinity of the Arctic Ocean is much lower than that of most of the world's oceans, with between 34 and 30ppt most of the time. The surface of the Arctic Ocean's pH is around 8.1 and range from 7.5 to 8.4, but studies have shown that the world's oceans have been decreasing in pH by about 0.02 per decade. This means that they're gradually becoming more and more acidic. The temperature of the Arctic Ocean varies from around 0°C to 7°C and global warming is slowing causing these temperatures to rise, melting ice and causing sea levels to rise. Seawater contains nutrients Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate, Silicate and Ammonium.
Soil
The soil in the Arctic Tundra is very low in nutrients and can only meet the nutritional needs of selective plants due to this fact. Another limiting factor to the plant life is the presence of permafrost - a layer of permanently frozen soil beneath the surface. The temperature of permafrost is always below 0°C, and can be 'wet' or 'dry' depending on whether water is present or not. This layer of frozen soil is very important in maintaining structure, and also limits the amount of drainage possible; thus creating bogs. Unlike the permafrost, the top layer of soil in the Tundra is not always frozen; it thaws during summer to allow plant life to grow. Because of the frozen layer of soil below the surface, deep rooted plants, like most trees, cannot grow in the Tundra. The soil in the Arctic Tundra, like in most biomes, is composed of dead organic matter, dust and eroded rock material. The soil is not moist, as the water it holds is frozen during the winter and is only thawed and usable to organisms during the Summer. The soil is also highly acidic, with a pH of around 3.5 in most cases.