Biomes - Tundra

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Buy Books about Tundra

In the polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere where the winters and extremely cold and long and even conifers cannot survive, the land is dominated by a mixed grassland, small shrub, and herbaceous plant ecosystem called the tundra. The most characteristic feature of the tundra is permafrost, a layer of permanently frozed subsoil. In the summer the ground thaws to a depth of a few centimeters and becomes wet and soggy. This freezing and thawing cycle crushes the roots of plants keeping them small and stunted. Alpine ecosystems are mountain top versions of the tundra.

General Tundra.

Plants and Animals.

Link Collections.

Polar and Tundra Organizations and Societies.

Alpine Ecosystems.

TUNDRA

The Arctic Ecosystem. Environment Canada. A wonderful web site on the arctic-tundra ecosystems of Canada. There is a map of the region divided into its various subdivisions with descriptions and maps of each smaller region. You'll also find articles on conservation and environmental protection in the Canadian Arctic, and links to other arctic resources on the web. Recommended.

The Tundra Biome. Missouri Botanical Garden. An introduction to the tundra biome for kids and students. The site includes basic information on the tundra including its location and facts about the tundra. You'll also find pictures and data on a variety of tundra plants and animals as well as a gallery of tundra pictures.

The Tundra Biome. World Builders. A great introduction to the tundra biome with special emphasis on some of its special animals.

Newfoundland and Labrador Biosphere. Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage. A short introduction to the tundra biome of these northeastern parts of Canada.

The Tundra Biome. A very nice non-technical introduction to the tundra.

Arctic Environmental Data Directory. U.S. Geological Survey. A searchable database of technical information on the Arctic.

Arctic Logistic Information Access Service. National Science Foundation. A map of the Arctic and information on the availability of lodging, food, and fuel for researchers.

Cold Regions Bibliography. Library of Congress. A very large, searchable bibliography of literature related to the northern regions of North America.

Alaska Ecoregions Mapping. U.S. Geological Survey. This site has a clickable map of the 20 ecoregions in alaska. Choosing any of these regions results in a page detailing the climate, physical features, vegetation, soils, land use, and other information. Recommended.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna. A group dedicated to the conservation of habitats and species in the arctic regions of the world. You'll find information on habitat conservation and the endangered plant and animals species found in the tundra regions of the world.

Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Mapping Project. If you dig deeply at this site you will find some information about the plant ecosystems of the arctic region, although mostly the site is fluff. Try the "Atlas" button to see some nice vegetation maps of areas in Alaska. Warning: Some of the figures at this site are very large.

Arctic Wildlife Portfolio. Arctic Studies Center, Smithsonian Institution. A gallery of photographs and information on the birds and mammals of the Arctic. A great site for students to get basic information about the animals of the Arctic. Recommended.

Hudson Bay Project: Ecosystem Studies and Conservation of Coastal Arctic Tundra. A research and conservation site studying tundra degradation and its effect on goose populations.

Terrestrial Mammals of the Arctic. World Lynx. A annotated table of the mammal species of the Arctic and their occurrence in the countries comprising the Arctic Circle.

The Barren Ground Caribou. Information and photographs of the caribou in the Northwest Territories.

Porcupine Caribou Herd. Photographs and good information about a particular herd of caribou in northern Alaska.

Polar Bear. Churchill Northern Studies. A picture of two polar bears, information about the polar bear, and a survey of the status and history of the polar bear in the Churchill Bay region of Canada.

Polar Bears Alive. This is a conservation organization. Their web site includes facts about polar bears, a gallery of pictures, and conservation of the polar bear.

LINK COLLECTIONS

Polar Link Page. Association of Polish Geomorphologists. A large compendium of links to polar web sites.

Polar Web. Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland. A very large compendium of links to web sites dealing with the polar regions of the world.

Arctic Roadmap. Elizabeth Davison. A series of links to web sites concerned in one way or the other with the arctic regions of the northern hemisphere.

Institute of Arctic Studies. Dartmouth University. A collection of links to arctic web sites.

ALPINE ZONE

We have not yet found any web sites featuring alpine ecosystems. Please visit the general biome page to search for information about these mountain top ecosystems.