Abiotic Factors of The Arctic Tundra
Soil Composition: The soil in the arctic tundra is frozen from about 25-90 cm (10-35 inches) down, making it impossible for trees to grow. This is also known as permafrost. Permafrost lasts year round, freezing the ground and preventing the growth of plants with deep roots.
Wind Conditions: Winds can gust from 50 to 100 km per hour (30-60 miles per hour), which can blast the tundra throughout the long winter.
Precipitation: The average rainfall per year is about 15-25 cm (6-10 inches), which is less than the Mojave desert!
Dominant Geographic Features: There are only two seasons, summer and winter. During the summer, as the Earth tilts the northern hemisphere toward the sun, the permafrost thaws slightly and produces lakes and marshes, allowing plants to grow explosively. There is a natural pattern of the accumulation of fuel and the burning of wildfires which vary according to the nature of vegetation and the terrain. FRIs, or fire-event return intervals, typically vary from 150 years to 200 years with drier lowland areas burning more frequently then the wetter highland areas.
Wind Conditions: Winds can gust from 50 to 100 km per hour (30-60 miles per hour), which can blast the tundra throughout the long winter.
Precipitation: The average rainfall per year is about 15-25 cm (6-10 inches), which is less than the Mojave desert!
Dominant Geographic Features: There are only two seasons, summer and winter. During the summer, as the Earth tilts the northern hemisphere toward the sun, the permafrost thaws slightly and produces lakes and marshes, allowing plants to grow explosively. There is a natural pattern of the accumulation of fuel and the burning of wildfires which vary according to the nature of vegetation and the terrain. FRIs, or fire-event return intervals, typically vary from 150 years to 200 years with drier lowland areas burning more frequently then the wetter highland areas.