Arctic Tundra CS

Question 1

Define a Tundra

Answer 1

A type of biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons

Question 2

What type of vegetation is found in Tundras?

Answer 2

dwarf shrubs, sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens

Question 3

What are the Arctic soils like?

Answer 3

Mainly consist of permafrost

Some areas in the Summer, the top layer of permafrost melts (active layer), allowing small plants to grow as they now have a supply of freshwater

In the winter, the top layer will freeze once more

Question 4

Why is the arctic so cold?

Answer 4

The Arctic has lots of ice which enhances the Albedo

This reflects more sun radiation back out

Question 5

What is the Pattern of precipitation in the Arctic?

Answer 5

Low annual precipitation

50-350mm

Mostly falls as snow, which can accumulate and melt in summer increasing river flow

Question 6

What is the rate of Transpiration like in the Arctic?

Answer 6

Transpiration is limited due to the limited range of vegetation and the short growing season

Question 7

What is the rate of evaporation in the Arctic?

Answer 7

Low rates of evaporation due to sun energy being used to melt snow

This means ground temps remain low leaving water frozen as ice for most of the year

Question 8

What is the humidity like in the Arctic?

Answer 8

Low temps reduce the absolute humidity

low stores in the atmospehere

Question 9

What are the groundwater stores like in the Arctic?

Answer 9

Limited soil moisture is a barrier to infiltration & percolation

Question 10

What are the carbon store in Soil like in the Tundra?

Answer 10

Carbon in soils is 5x that of above ground biomass

Question 11

What is vegetation like in the Tundra?

Answer 11

During the growing season the plants input carbon rich litter into the soil

This increases decomposition and releases CO2 into the air

Question 12

What is photosynthesis rates like in the Arctic?

Answer 12

During the growing season plants flower rapidly

The long daylight hours allow for longer periods of photosynthesis

Question 13

What 3 physical factors influence the Water cycle in the Arctic?

Answer 13

Temperature

Geology/Permeability

Relief

Question 14

How does temperature impact the water cycle in the Arctic?

Answer 14

Temperature is below freezing most of the year so water is stored as ground ice in permafrost layer

During short summer the active layer of the permafrost melts & water flows on the surface

In winter there is no evapotranspiration due to sub-zero temperatures

Question 15

How does Geology/Permeability impact the water cycle in the Arctic?

Answer 15

Permeability is low as the majority of the geology of the Tundra is made from crystalline rocks and also the permafrost

Question 16

What is crystalline rock?

Answer 16

Any rock composed entirely of crystallised minerals without glassy matter

e.g Intrusive igneous rocks & metamorphic rocks

Question 17

How does Relief impact the water cycle in the Arctic?

Answer 17

The landscape is relatively flat (gently undulating) as a result of hundreds of millions of years of erosion and weathering leading to waterlogging in the summer months

This is added too by the chaotic nature of glacial deposits impeding drainage

Question 18

What are the 3 physical factors influencing the Carbon cycle in the Arctic?

Answer 18

Temperature

Geology

Vegetation/organic matter

Question 19

How does temperature impact the Carbon cycle in the Arctic?

Answer 19

Low temps mean that there is limited water supply for vegetation to grow

Low temps also mean lower rates of decomposition meaning less flow into the atmosphere

Carbon mainly flows (is in Flux) in the summer when the active layer of the permafrost thaws

Question 20

How does Geology impact the Carbon Cycle in the Arctic?

Answer 20

The Permafrost is impermeable so, Rock permeability, rock porosity and the mineral composition of rocks have little influence on both the water and carbon cycles in the Tundra.

Amount of carbon in Tundra soils is 5x greater than the amount of carbon stored in the above-ground biomass

Question 21

How does vegetation/organic matter impact the Carbon cycle in the Arctic?

Answer 21

Carbon is mostly stored as partly decomposed plant remains that are frozen in the permafrost (much has been locked away for 500,000 years)

NPP is less than 200 grams/m2/yr

Carbon stored in biomass is small. Between 4-29 tonnes/ha

Question 22

How much undiscovered oil is estimated to be in the Arctic?

Answer 22

2008 United States Geological Survey - 90 million barrels

Question 23

What is Conventional oil?

Answer 23

oil is a liquid at atmospheric temperature and pressure, so it can flow through a wellbore and a pipeline

easier and less expensive to recover conventional oil and it requires less processing after extraction

Question 24

What is unconvectional oil?

Answer 24

Cannot be recovered using conventional drilling and pumping methods

Advanced extraction techniques, such as oil sands mining, are used to recover heavier oil that does not flow on its own