Cool Facts:
- The arctic tundra is the world’s youngest biome. It was formed a "mere" 10,000 years ago!
- The word “tundra” is from Finnish word “tunturia” which fittingly means "a barren land".
- The arctic tundra is also the world’s coldest and driest biome.
- The main seasons of the arctic tundra are winter and summer. Spring and fall only last for a few weeks.
- During the winter, there are periods of time where the arctic tundra receives zero light, so it constantly feels like nighttime. On the other hand, the sun shines 24 hours a day in the summer.
- The arctic tundra is a carbon dioxide sink which means it takes in more CO2 than it lets out, so as tundra melts, CO2 stored in frozen, undecomposed plants gets released. This means that global warming caused by greenhouse gases will release even more CO2, triggering a vicious cycle.
- The arctic tundra is an extremely fragile environment. It can be disrupted easily by pollution or climate change.