July 19, 2009

• Tundra in the Rockies????

  When I first headed to the arctic in the summer I wanted to identify some of the flowers and the only reference books, I had referred to flowers in the Rockies. My experience was that there would have to be some similarities to those in the high alpine meadows. Two summers I did some photography weeks through the Friends of Jasper and hiking up to Mt. Edith Cavell we encountered yellow arnicas, red Indian paint brushes, Labrador tea, and tall purple fireweed. I remember that first summer of 2002 in Kugluktuk bringing 14 different home flower samples and trying to identify each with my flower book from the Rockies…very close but not identical.
  
  Therefore, for my next few posts I am going to look at some of the similarities and differences of the two areas, high alpine and arctic.

  So, what comes to mind when thinking of both..well for me, snow in summer and no trees, steep hikes, winding rocky trails, mountain fast running creeks, boulders covered with colorful lichen and moss, mosquitoes, clear lakes and cold nights.

  First what may surprise you is that both areas are TUNDRA…. yes but isn’t tundra just in the arctic, above 60oN or above the Arctic Circle now what latitude is that??
  
  The word "tundra" usually refers only to the areas where the subsoil is permafrost, which contains permanently frozen water (it may also refer to the treeless plain in general)

  Tundra is Russian for "land of no trees,"

  The word "tundra" is derived from the Finnish word "tunturi," which refers to the upland treeless parts of hills and low mountains free of woodlands.

  Tundra is the global biome that consists of the treeless regions in the north (Arctic tundra) and high mountains (alpine tundra).

  The vegetation of tundra is low growing, and consists mainly of sedges, grasses, dwarf shrubs, wildflowers, mosses, and lichens.
  
  COPYRIGHT 2001 Macmillan Reference USA, COPYRIGHT 2005 Thomson Gale, a part of The Thomson Corporation

  Tundra is found where the climate is too hostile for trees to grow. The ground stays frozen year round, except for a thin layer at the surface.

  There are two major types of tundra.

  Arctic tundra dominates the far North, above the Arctic Circle.

  Desert like conditions, less than 10 in /year short growing season in winter, the ground is covered by a blanket of snow several feet thick. In the dead of winter, the sun never rises above the horizon. By contrast, summer days are warmer and endless. Above the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets in summer. The upper layer of soil thaws, but just a few feet below the surface lies the permafrost, which never melts. Much of the area is covered with standing water, forming shallow marsh associations that support a blanket of sedges. These shallow marshes are critical nurseries for much of North America's waterfowl and shorebirds. In the drier areas, wildflowers bloom in one brief summer burst, along with dwarf willows and shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae).
  
  http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/ecology/eco_tundra.html

  Alpine Tundra

  Alpine tundra, found above timberline in the Rocky Mountains, Sierras, and Northern Appalachians, supports a flora similar to that of the Arctic tundra. Cushion- and mat-forming wildflowers grow amongst a carpet of dwarf shrubs and trees, sedges, grasses, and lichens. The two types of tundra are so much alike because during the last ice age, mountaintops were the only refuge for tundra plants.

  Alpine tundra is tundra that occurs at high altitudes at any latitude on Earth. This is usually somewhere between 11,200 and 12,000 feet depending on latitude and slope exposure. Alpine tundra also lacks trees, but does not usually have permafrost, and alpine soils are generally better drained than permafrost soils. Alpine tundra transitions to sub-alpine forests below the tree line; stunted forests occurring at the forest-tundra ecotone are known as Krummholz.

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