Ryan, Tundra

In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes from Kildin Sami tūndâr, which means "uplands, treeless mountain tract."[1] There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra,[2] alpine tundra, and antarctic tundra. In tundra, the vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens. Scattered trees grow in some tundra. The ecotone (or ecological boundary region) between the tundra and the forest is known as the tree line or timberline.


Alpine tundra is an ecozone that does not contain trees because it has high altitude. Alpine tundra is distinguished from arctic tundra, because alpine tundra does not have permafrost, and alpine soils are generally better drained than arctic soils. Alpine tundra transitions to subalpine forests below the tree line; stunted forests occurring at the forest-tundra ecotone are known as Krummholz.

Alpine tundra occurs in mountains worldwide. The flora of the alpine tundra is characterized by dwarf shrubs close to the ground. The cold climate of the alpine tundra is caused by the low air pressure, and is similar to polar climate

Alpine tundra occurs at high enough altitude at any latitude. Portions of Montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions worldwide include alpine tundra. Large regions of alpine tundra occur in the American Cordillera in North and South America, the Alps and Pyrenees of Europe, the Rift Mountains of Africa, and a large portion of the Tibetan Plateau.



Arctic tundra occurs in the far Northern Hemisphere, north of the taiga belt. The word "tundra" usually refers only to the areas where the subsoil is permafrost, or permanently frozen soil. (It may also refer to the treeless plain in general, so that northern Sápmi would be included.) Permafrost tundra includes vast areas of northern Russia and Canada.[2] The polar tundra is home to several peoples who are mostly nomadic reindeer herders, such as the Nganasan and Nenets in the permafrost area (and the Sami in Sápmi).

The Arctic tundra is a vast area of stark landscape and is frozen for much of the year. The soil there is frozen from 25–90 cm (9.8–35.4 inches) down, and it is impossible for trees to grow. Instead, bare and sometimes rocky land can only support low growing plants such as moss, heath (Ericaceae varieties such as crowberry and black bearberry), and lichen. There are two main seasons, winter and summer, in the polar tundra areas. During the winter it is very cold and dark, with the average temperature around −28 °C (−18.4 °F), sometimes dipping as low as −50 °C (−58.0 °F). However, extreme cold temperatures on the tundra do not drop as low as those experienced in taiga areas further south (for example, Russia's and Canada's lowest temperatures were recorded in locations south of the tree line). During the summer, temperatures rise somewhat, and the top layer of the permafrost melts, leaving the ground very soggy. The tundra is covered in marshes, lakes, bogs and streams during the warm months. Generally daytime temperatures during the summer rise to about 12 °C (54 °F) but can often drop to 3 °C (37 °F) or even below freezing. Arctic tundras are sometimes the subject of habitat conservation programs. In Canada and Russia, many of these areas are protected through a national Biodiversity Action Plan.

Grace Differences between Alpine tundra and Arctic tundra

Where is Arctic tundra found?
It is found almost entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. It falls between two other major biomes, the taiga and ice caps.
Where is Alpine tundra found?
It is found in the mountain regions all around the world.

What is Arctic tundra's climate?
In the Arctic tundra, there a two seasons: summer and winter. In the summer, the sun is present almost 24 hours a day. This sun however, only warms the tundra up to a range about 3-12 degree celcius. In the winter, the opposite light conditions are present. This causes the temperature to drop to extremely cold levels.
What is Alpine tundra's climate?
Alpine tundra's climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. The climate becomes colder at high elevations.

What are the plants and animals living in Arctic tundra?
There are around 1700 species of plants that live in the Arctic tundra. There are almost no reptiles or amphibians. There are only 48 land mammals that make this habitat their home.
What are the plants and animals living in Alpine tundra?
All of the plants are adapted to sweeping winds and disturbances of the soil. The growing seasons are short and most plants reproduce by budding and division. Many animals hibernate during the winter because food is not abundant. Reptile and amphibians are few or absent because of the extremely cold temperatures.

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Differences (Bin Sheng)

 {Differences}

The summer in Alphine Tundra average temperatures range from 10 to 15°C while for the arctic it range from 3° to 16°C. While in the winter Alphine Tundra temperatures are below freezing cold while for arctic it is -28°C. The Alphine Tundra have some isects and only warm blooded animals while for the arctic it have lots of insect, hares , rodents , wolves , arctic fox and polar bears.

                                                                                                                                                        

     Alphine Tundra                                                     Arctic Tundra 

Differences in Arctic tundra and Alpine tundra (Jolene)

         Arctic tundra 

• They are located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole and extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga. 

• The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. 

• The soil is very dry.

              Alpine tundra

• They are located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow. 

• The growing season is approximately 180 days. 

• The soil in the alpine is well drained.

        

difference(Alastairang)

The tundra biome

1. Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout the world at high altidute where trees cannot grow.
2. The growing season is approximately 180 days.
3. The nighttime temperature is usually below freezing.
4. Unlike the Arctic tundra the soil is the Alpine is well drained.
5. The plants are very similar to those of the Arctic ones and include:

tussock grasses, dwarf trees, small-leafed shrubs, and heaths

Animals living in the alpine tundra are also well adapted:

• Mammals: pikas, marmots, mountain goats, sheep, elk
  Birds: grouselike birds
  
  Birds: grouselike birds
  
  
  
  
  Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
   

Differences(Elyse)

    The differences between the arctic and the alphine tundra are the places they are located at and the animals.The arctic tundra is located within the arctic region in an icy snowy place whereas the alphine tundra is located in an area above the tree line somewhere in the tops of mountains.The animals living in the arctic tundra includes the arctic hare,iusk-ox,caribou and the reindeer and the animals living in the alphine tundra are the mountain goat,big-horned sheep,pika and the marmot.The plants growing in the alphine tundra are the mat-making and the cushion-forming plants and the plants growing in the arctic tundra are similar to the ones growing in the alphine tundra.

Differences between Arctic and Alpine

The climate of the Arctic is characterized broadly by long, cold winters and short, cool summers. There is a large amount of variability in climate across the Arctic, but all regions experience extremes of solar radiation in both summer and winter. Some parts of the Arctic are covered by ice year-round, and nearly all parts of the Arctic experience long periods with some form of ice on the surface. Average January temperatures range from about −40 to 0 °C ,and winter temperatures can drop below −50 °C over large parts of the Arctic. Average July temperatures range from about −10 to +10 °C ,with some land areas occasionally exceeding 30 °C  in summer.

On the other hand, Alpine climate is the average weather  for a region above the tree line. The climate becomes colder at high elevations—this characteristic is described by the lapse rate of air: air tends to get colder as it rises, since it expands. The dry adiabatic lapse rate is 10 °C per km of elevation or altitude. Therefore, moving up 100 meters on a mountain is roughly equivalent to moving 80 kilometers towards the pole This relationship is only approximate, however, since local factors such as proximity to oceans can drastically modify the climate.