What is an Alpine Tundra?

An Alpine Tundra is a type of tundra. Alpine Tundras do not have trees due to high altitudes. The characteristics of a tundra are as follows:

1. Extremely Cold Climate
2. Low Biotic Diversity
3. Simple Vegetation Structure
4. Limitation of Drainage
5. Short Seasons of Growth and Vegetation (The growing season (for plants) is about 45-90 days and the temperature often drops below freezing)
6. Energy in Nutrients (from decomposing matter)
7. Large population oscillations (movement back and forth at a regular speed)

Geography of an Alpine Tundra

• The actual tundra itself starts at an elevation of around 11,000 to 11,500 feet.
• Located above Timberline on ridges, summits, and slopes.
• Present only on mountains, therefore the landscape is rugged and broken with snowcapped peaks and cliffs. There are gently sloping hills in some areas.
• Only a handful of human communities exist (which rely on mining, tourism, and agriculture) El Alto, Bolivia has humans living at an elevation of 4,150 meters (13,620 feet) and has a population of about 1 million. Relies on a manufacturing economy.
• Some examples of Alpine Tundras are the Himalayas in Asia, the American Cordillera in North and South America, the Alps, the Scandinavian Mountains, a Large portion of the Tibetan Plateau, and the Pyrenees of Europe.
• The Alpine and Arctic biomes cover 16% of the earth's surface area.

Climate of an alpine tundra

• Alpine Tundras actually have their own climate, Alpine Climate. Alpine Climate simply means the climate for the regions above the treeline. Is can also be referred to as highland climate or mountain climate.
• Summer temperature range between -12 degrees Celsius to 10 degrees Celsius. (10 degrees celsius = 50 degrees fahrenheit)
• The average precipitation is 30 cm a year. (In comparison, NJ has a yearly average precipitation of about 125 centimeters). Precipitation is usually in the form of snow.
• However, Some biomes can be up to 70% snow free in the winter.
• There are dangerous levels of UV in Alpine Tundras due to elevation and reflection of said rays upon snow.

General Climate Guidelines:

1. Relativity to oceans can drastically affect the climate

This is due to the oceans absorbing temperature. Oceans nearest the equator absorb the most heat and can act as a heat-retaining "solar panel" for surrounding areas (according to the NOAA). The heat is then distributed all around due to global wind patterns (shown below).

2. Snowfields commonly occur on lee sides (facing the upward direction of the wind) of ridges.

However, the ridges themselves typically don't have snow due to redistribution by the wind. The leeward side of a mountain is typically located on the eastern side of a mountain and refers to a dry, warm climate. This is in direct contrast to the windward side, which features harsh and wet conditions. The leeward side has much less exposure than the windward side.

3. There are very high levels of wind

This in which can lead to soil erosion, and is detrimental to plant life. Coupled with solar radiation, the winds can create high levels of evaporation and transpiration. (Transpiration is the process in which moisture is carried through plants, and changes to vapor then is released to the atmosphere. Transpiration is basically a plant's form of evaporation .)

Animal and plant life

No animal species are common to every Alpine tundra because they are so widespread, although some common animals are:

• Kea
• Marmot
• Mountain Goat
• Chinchilla
• Himalayan Tahr
• Yak
• Pika

The plant life is subject to intense radiation, wind, cold, snow, and ice. Therefore, it grows close to the ground and contains mostly:

• Perennial grasses
• Sedges
• Forbs
• Tussocks
• Cushion plants
• Lichens

primary vegetation

The vegetation is extremely limited due to:

• Poor quality of the soil of these areas (nutrients only accessible with deteriorating matter).
• Soil freezes very few inches under the surface due to extreme temperatures which doesn't allow for deep rooting (primary reason there are no trees).

The plants that CAN grow:

• For plants to grow in the Tundra they have to develop a dense mat of roots over thousands of years to survive with the relatively poor soil quality of the Tundra.
• Most plants are usually under 3 inches tall
• 45 to 90 day growing period although the ground frequently freezes during this period.

Characteristic food web

As pictured, the Arctic Hare is the Primary Food Provider in this relationship. The primary producers are grass and sedge, as well as the like. The top of the Web is inhabited by the Arctic Fox and the Inuk Hunter.

Food pyramid

human related threats

• The melting of the permafrost as a result of global warming could drastically change the landscape and what species are able to live there. This is also caused by buildings and roads.
• Ozone depletion at the North and South Poles means stronger ultraviolet rays that will harm the tundra and its inhabitants.
• Air pollution can cause smog clouds that contaminate lichen, a significant food source for many animals.
• Exploration of oil, gas, and minerals and construction of pipelines and roads can cause physical disturbances and habitat fragmentation.
• Oil spills kill wildlife.
• Climate change is exceedingly detrimental to alpine Tundras.
• Ski development. Humans are turning Alpine Tundras into Ski slope, killing the inhabited animals and ruining the natural ecosystem.
• Overhunting or overfishing any species will impact the way an ecosystem functions, especially in its food web. Poaching is highly illegal, although some still hunt illegally today. These irresponsible hunters are especially threatful.

All of these threats are directly related to the way humans take care of our planet and how we distribute our pollution and garbage, in addition to how we act towards our natural environments and animals.

Saving the alpine tundra

With the course these ecosystems are headed, there will soon be no more Alpine Tundras anywhere in the world. In order to save these tundras, all of these unsafe human practices need to stop, in addition to:

• Switching to alternative energy uses to minimize human-made global warming.
• Establish protected areas and park reserves to restrict human influence.
• STOP Fracking!
• Limit road construction, mining activities, and the building of pipelines in, near, or around any tundra habitat or other naturally occurring habitats.
• Limit tourism and respect local cultures.
• Do not ever poach, over-hunt, or over-fish!