GOOD MORNING STUDENTS!

Teacher: Salve Mae A. Suelo

SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER
instructional video
Human Impact on
Alaskan Tundra
 Define what is Tundra?
In physical geography, Tundra is an area where the tree
growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing
seasons.

Tundra (from the Finnish term “Tunturi” means “treeless

heights”) refers to the treeless ecosystem where winters are
long and cold, and summers are short and (usually) chilly.
Tundra is usually refers only to the areas
where the subsoil is permafrost, or
permanently frozen soil
Three (3) types of Tundra:

1)Arctic Tundra (high latitude tundra)

2)Antarctic Tundra
3)Alpine Tundra (high altitude tundra)
ARCTIC TUNDRA

 Arctic tundra is a landscape of

amazing contrasts.
 View it from a distance, or visit in
midwinter, and you might think it is
barren. It’s not. Though treeless and
often bitter cold.
ANTARCTIC TUNDRA
 The Antarctic tundra is very similar to the Arctic, only it is located on Antarctica and its surrounding islands
such as the Falkland Islands.
 Much of Antarctica's resources are either predicted or inaccessible because of the inability to explore the
continent thoroughly due to its harsh conditions.
 Natural Resources: 
 Antarctic Ice contains the world's largest source of fresh water
 Coal and Petroleum reserves
 Minerals such as cobalt and nickel
 Environmental Threats:
 -Global warming is causing the melting of Antarctic ice
 -Ozone depletion at the poles allows harmful ultraviolet radiation
 -Air pollution contaminates lichen
 Alpine Tundra

 The Alpine Tundra is much like Arctic, only it is at elevations above the tree line. It occurs in mountains around
the world such as the White Mountains pictured below.
 Producers: grasses, sedges, and forbs
 Primary consumers (Herbivores): chipmunks and pika
 Secondary Consumers (Omnivores/Carnivores): badgers and marmots
 Tertiary Consumers (Carnivores): bobcats and coyotes
 Decomposers: earth worms
• As you travel from Alaska’s interior toward its
northern or western coast, you’ll see a dramatic
transition.
• In flat areas such as the coastal plains, the landscape
is dotted with small lakes, or divided into strange
geometric patterns.
• The country feels grand and limitless stretching to
the horizon of the broad sky
 What is the Human Impact on the
Alaskan Tundra?

Human impact on the tundra has generally not been a positive

one. Because the tundra is such a delicate environment, even the
slightest change in conditions can threaten the entire biome.

The overhunting of endangered species in the early 1900s

resulted in the eradication of animals such as the muxk oxen in
the Alaskan tundra, which sailors coveted for food and clothing .
Human Impact in Alaskan Tundra

Global Warming
Oil Drilling
Overdevelopment
Air Pollution
What causes Tundra

Lack of Trees
Cold
Seasons
Precipitation
wind
Lack of Trees
 The defining characteristics of tundra is lack of trees.
 Scientist cannot point to a single factor that limits tree growth; rather
it is a combination of factors:
a. Growing seasons are too short for plants that produce wood,
b.Strong persistent winds that desiccate and abrade plant tissues
c. Permafrost that prevents roots from reaching deeply enough into
the soil to provide support
d.And, cold soils that slow decomposition and nutrient cycling
COLD
 One of the climatic conditions that give rise to
tundra is cold air temperatures. But it’s not just
winter’s cold that shapes this ecosystem.
 Rather, it’s the chilly average temperatures
which limit plant growth and encourage the
formation of permafrost.
SEASONS
 In Alaska’s Arctic and near- Arctic, seasonal changes are
dramatic. In midsummer, when the Earth’s northern pole is
tilted toward the sun, days are tremendously long-in fact,
from the Arctic Circle north, the landscape can be bathed in
sunlight 24 hours day around the time of summer solstice.
 But as the Earth revolves around the sun towards winter, the
pole tilts further and further from the sun; days shorten, and
shorten-until midwinter, when, north of the Arctic Circle,
there are days when the sun does not rise above the horizon
at all.
PRECIPITATION
 Alaska’s Tundra gets very little snow or
rain- it’s sometimes called a “cold desert”.
Annual precipitation at Barrow located on
the tundra-covered Coastal Plain, is around 4
inches-far less than annual rainfall of the
Mojave Desert
WIND
 Tundra also a windy space.
 The contrast in temperature between the land and the
ocean creates persistent breezes that sweep across the
treeless landscape.
 Some tundra plants and animals are specially adapted to
minimize wind damage. Some animals, however, actually
seek out wind-scoured areas, where travel is easier and
forage plants are more accessible
ACTIVITY AND ASSIGNMENT

 LIST DOWN ALL THE CAUSES OF TUNDRA AND

DISCUSS IT IN THE CLASS
 WHAT IS YOUR POINT OF YOU ABOUT OUR
TOPIC?

 ASSIGNMENT:
 GIVE SOME WAYS TO TAKE CARE OUR
ENVIRONMENT
ANY QUESTION?

CLARIFICATIONS?

OKAY, CLASS DISMISS!