The tundra biome represents the cold extreme among terrestrial biomes.  These are cold deserts, but low plant demands for water due to the fact that temperatures hold down transpiration rates during a very short growing season and the frozen substrate keep soils moist.  The freezing temperatures for much of the year and often saturated surface keep decomposition rates low, but biomass production is similarly low.  Except for extremely low latitude deserts, the tundra has the lowest net primary productivity of any terrestrial ecosystem.  The species mix is very low and is dominated by sedges, grasses, dwarf willows, mosses, and lichens.

    There are two types of tundra in the world -- arctic and alpine. The arctic tundra is at the top of the world -- around the North Pole. Alpine tundra is found on the tops of tall, cold mountains.  The most distinctive characteristic of the tundra soil is its permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of ground. During the brief summers, the top section of the soil may thaw out allowing plants and microorganisms to grow and reproduce. However, these plants and microorganisms become dormant during the winter months.  Animals are adapted to handle cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the very short and cool summers.  Temperatures during the arctic winter can dip to -60 F (-51 C)! Average temperature of the warmest month is between 50 F (10 C) and 32 F (0 C). Sometimes as few as 55 days per year have a mean temperature higher than 32 F (0 C). The average annual temperature is only 10 to 20F (-12C to -6C).

           The artic tundra contains ground features not found in warmer regions.  The artic is so cold that the ground beneath the tundra surface remains frozen all year.  This permanently frozen ground is called permafrost. The soil in the permafrost area remains colder than 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius).

    If the soil never warmed up, there would be no plants growing in the arctic. When the sun warms the tundra surface, however, the top few inches of soil thaw. This melted part is called the active layer. Plant roots grow within the active layer, and insects burrow here.

    This is a bluff on the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Waves have eroded the soil, exposing the ground beneath the tundra surface. Frozen soil can contain ice, like this ice wedge, or it can be dry, like the soil around the ice wedge. http://www.r7.fws.gov/nwr/arctic/permpics.html
 
 

         These are pictures of  lichen growing on the surface of a rock. Lichens are unusual                                      Many plants in the tundra have leaves that are dark red. The dark
       organisms that often grow on exposed rock surfaces. They are composed of a                                         leaves allow the plant to absorb more heat from the sun in the cold
       fungus and an algae living and growing together.                                                                                       tundra climate.

           Here are a couple of photos of cotton grass.  Cotton grass has seeds that
        are dispersed across the tundra when the wind catches them.
 

  Below in a flat map of the world.  The tundra biome is represented by the blue shaded area. The tundra biome is located near the North Pole.  Here is a map of the world, the tundra biome is represented by the blue colored area.

    Although it may surprise you, due to the fact that the tundra has such extreme temperatures, it contains a wide variety of animal life.  Most of the animals have learned to survive and adapted by growing fur coats or learning to hibernate through the winters.  Below are pictures of just a few animals that live in the Tundra.

                                                                 
    Artic Fox            Golden Eagle           Polar Bear

                                                                     
  Ruddy Turnstone          Sled Dogs                Musk Ox