Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10-6: The
geography of po-
lar climates.
Tundra
In areas with tundra climate, at least one month of the year averages above freezing (32° F), but not
above 50° F. Like the humid microthermal climates, and for the same reason, tundra is almost ex-
clusively a Northern Hemisphere phenomenon (small parts of Antarctica experience it). Tundra is a
Russian word that refers to the vast, nearly treeless landscapes that are characteristic of this climatic
region.
Lack of forest is not a function of cold air temperatures per se, but rather the frozen soil that persists
for nearly the entire year, and which prohibits tree roots from taking in sufficient nutrients. Thus,
grasses that grow in abundance during the long daylight hours of the short and chilly summer domin-
ate the natural landscape. This vegetation, in turn, attracts huge herds of caribou that annually migrate
to the tundra to feast and fatten up for the long winter ahead. This relationship between plant and
animal is the principal reason why, in Alaska at least, large portions of the tundra region have been
designated as National Parks or National Wildlife Refuges.
Because the growing season is so short, agriculture is virtually unknown. Thus, the livelihood of
the traditional societies who have long inhabited this realm — the Inuit (formerly known as Eski-
mos), and neighboring Native Americans in the Western Hemisphere, and the Lapps and neighbor-
ing peoples of the Russian Arctic, have relied on hunting or herding. In the last couple of decades,
however, the economic importance of the tundra has increased dramatically as a result of the discov-
ery of significant quantities of petroleum and natural gas. Serious and sometimes acrimonious debate
has resulted, pitting proponents of resource exploitation and pristine wilderness.
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