2. What is it?
• The tundra is the coldest and the youngest of all
biomes. It was formed 10,000 years ago.
• It’s a vast and treeless land. It’s usually very cold.
• The ground is permanently frozen 10in-3ft down. This
means that trees cannot plant their roots in the
ground.
• The bare and sometimes rocky ground can only
support low growing plant such as mosses, heaths
and lichen. And willows which only grow 8cm tall.
• In the winter, it’s cold and dark, in the summer, the
snow and top layer of permafrost melt.
• It’s also very dry throughout the year.
3. Where is it?
• Nearly all of the tundra is found in the Northern
Hemisphere. From latitudes 55° to 70° North.
• There are small tundra like areas in the southern
hemisphere but because it’s much colder the
ground is always covered in snow and ice.
• Russian and Canadian plains above the arctic
circle are examples of this. As well as Greenland
4. Who lives there?
• There are several types of fauna which live here but
not all year around. In the summer when it is much
warmer many types of bird migrate to them and
also many types of insect such as mosquitos and
midges.
• In some tundras there are reindeer and also some
types of fish such as, cod and salmon. This then
attracts some people to hunt and fish
5. Why is it there?
• The Tundra forms because the area takes in more
carbon dioxide than it gives out.
6. When will it die out?
• We don’t know when it will die out, however it
could die out due to
• Because more of the permafrost would begin to
melt more often meaning that the trees would start
being able to plant their roots and grow. This could
lead to more flora and fauna but could ruin its main
function as a carbon dioxide sink.
7. Whom values it?
• The Tundra biome is useful to humans as it is a
Carbon Dioxide sink.
