Extreme Environments: Tundra

Which ONE of these countries is NOT part of the Arctic Circle?

• Russia

• The USA

• Canada

• The United Kingdom

Which ONE of these statements correctly define a tundra environment?

• The peak temperature is between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius for at least one month in the summer.

• The temperature is always below freezing.

• There is no sunlight for at least 45 days of the year.

• The average annual precipitation is below 250mm.

Which of the climate graphs shows a tundra environment?

• 
• 
• 
• 

The word 'tundra' comes from the Finnish word 'tunturia'. What is the literal translation?

• Cold land

• Treeless land

• Icy land

• Mossy land

What is 'permafrost'?

• Ground that has stayed frozen for at least 2 years, usually found between 25cm and 100cm underground.

• Ground that is frozen during the winter and turns into boggy swamps in the summer.

• Ground covered in snow all year round.

• Pockets of earth found in ice trapped over 100cm underground.

Why is the Arctic tundra an extreme environment for humans to live in? Choose 3 answers.

• There are long periods in winter when the sun doesn't rise there.

• Temperatures can drop to below 30 degrees Celsius in the winter.

• It is difficult to build houses, lay pipes and build transport links on the permafrost.

• There are very few rivers to provide fresh water.

Why do trees not grow in the Arctic tundra? Choose 3 answers.

• It is too cold for most of the year.

• It is too windy so they are easily blown down.

• Their roots cannot go deep into the permafrost.

• There isn't enough rainfall.

Which TWO of these are behavioural adaptations of the Arctic hare to the tundra environment?

• It's coat changes colour from brown in summer to white in winter for camouflage.

• It has large feet to help it walk on snow.

• It digs burrows to escape the cold and wind.

• They gather together in herds of up to 100 in order to share heat during snowstorms.

What is an 'autotroph'?

• A living thing that makes its own food by harnessing energy from the sun.

• A living thing that eats plants or insects.

• A living thing that grows on another living thing.

• A living thing that eats large animals.

According to this food web, which of the following plants or animals is a 'primary consumer'?

• Caribou

• Grasses and sedges

• Arctic fox

• Snowy owl