Arctic Tundra Essay
Name: Rodrigo Alba
Date: May 22,
Global Warming and how it is affecting the Arctic Tundra The Arctic tundra is a region in the Northern Hemisphere that encompasses areas such as Canada, Alaska and much of Siberia in Russia. The word tundra refers to a vast treeless plain and is thought to have been adopted from the Finnish word tunturia (Arctic). Tundras are characterized by permanently frozen ground cover known as permafrost. The Arctic tundra is characterized by low precipitation and dry winds with some few kinds of grass, mosses, lichens and flowers. However, in general, the Arctic tundra is very cold with little vegetation cover. Due to the cold and permafrost, plant roots cannot penetrate to reach the soil. Arctic winters are dark and long as well as very cold. In the summer, however, temperatures may go above freezing point hence thawing and melting the top permafrost. The melt water collects into ponds and marshes leading to an abundance of life. …show more content…
Global warming refers to an increase in global temperatures that happens at a gradual scale and has been attributed to the greenhouse gasses produced by industries through the release of chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide and many other air pollutants (Haldar). The gasses trap heat energy from the sun causing the gradual increase in temperatures. Global warming has had negative impacts on many ecosystems around the world among them droughts, unpredictable weather patterns, sea level rises and retreating of the major ice sheets due to melting. Global warming has had an effect even on the arctic tundra. Most researchers agree that human activity is the most responsible for causing global warming. This position is especially supported by data records showing that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased sharply since the advent of the industrial revolution. The best record of this is known as the Keeling
Date: May 22,
Global Warming and how it is affecting the Arctic Tundra The Arctic tundra is a region in the Northern Hemisphere that encompasses areas such as Canada, Alaska and much of Siberia in Russia. The word tundra refers to a vast treeless plain and is thought to have been adopted from the Finnish word tunturia (Arctic). Tundras are characterized by permanently frozen ground cover known as permafrost. The Arctic tundra is characterized by low precipitation and dry winds with some few kinds of grass, mosses, lichens and flowers. However, in general, the Arctic tundra is very cold with little vegetation cover. Due to the cold and permafrost, plant roots cannot penetrate to reach the soil. Arctic winters are dark and long as well as very cold. In the summer, however, temperatures may go above freezing point hence thawing and melting the top permafrost. The melt water collects into ponds and marshes leading to an abundance of life. …show more content…
Global warming refers to an increase in global temperatures that happens at a gradual scale and has been attributed to the greenhouse gasses produced by industries through the release of chlorofluorocarbons, carbon dioxide and many other air pollutants (Haldar). The gasses trap heat energy from the sun causing the gradual increase in temperatures. Global warming has had negative impacts on many ecosystems around the world among them droughts, unpredictable weather patterns, sea level rises and retreating of the major ice sheets due to melting. Global warming has had an effect even on the arctic tundra. Most researchers agree that human activity is the most responsible for causing global warming. This position is especially supported by data records showing that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased sharply since the advent of the industrial revolution. The best record of this is known as the Keeling