Arctic desert geographical features. Arctic desert - typical animals, birds. A story about the animal world of the Arctic deserts: photos, pictures, videos. Ecosystem of Antarctica and its conservation

07.03.2020

- (polar desert, icy desert), a kind of desert (see DESERT) with extremely sparse sparse vegetation among the snows and glaciers of the Arctic and Antarctic belts of the Earth. Distributed in most of Greenland (see GREENLAND) ... encyclopedic Dictionary

The same as the icy desert. Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. Moscow: Rosman. Under the editorship of prof. A.P. Gorkina. 2006 ... Geographic Encyclopedia

ARCTIC DESERT- type of sparse vegetation of the Far North; differs from the tundra, where the vegetation cover is closed ... Glossary of botanical terms

DESERT ARCTIC- cold desert, arctic or alpine regions, in which the scarcity of vegetation is determined primarily by low temperatures, and not by dry air. Among the Arctic deserts, there are icy deserts, alpine deserts ... Ecological dictionary

- (wrong Streletsky; English Strzelecki Desert) desert in Australia: northeast of South Australia, northwest of New South Wales and extreme southwest of Queensland. Located northeast of Lake Eyre and north of the ridge ... ... Wikipedia

- (Urdu خاران) a desert located in the Kharan district of Balochistan province in Pakistan. Consists of sand dunes drifting over a base of pebble conglomerate. Drifting dunes reach a height of 15-30 meters. The desert is limited by spurs ... ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Desert (meanings). & ... Wikipedia

AND; pl. genus. tyn; and. 1. A vast arid area with little rainfall, extreme fluctuations in air and soil, and sparse vegetation. Boundless, sultry, red-hot, scorched settlement of Solonchakovaya settlement of P. Sahara. P. Karakum. Deserts... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Landscape in the Simpson Desert The Simpson Desert is a sandy desert in the center of Australia, more ... Wikipedia

Gibson Desert Region according to IBRA ... Wikipedia

Books

coal chips
Charcoal, Monica Christensen. Paulsen Publishing presents Monika Christensen's Detective Coal Chip, the continuation of the Arctic Crime Novel series. This psychological thriller is about...

The Arctic (translated from Greek, bear) is the edge of the northern land, where in summer the sun does not set beyond the sunset line. And in winter, severe frosts reign here, hurricane-force winds that cause strong snowstorms and a polar night that lasts from 98 to 127 days. At the North Pole itself, it lasts six months. And the only sources of light here in winter are the stars, the moon and the twinkling aurora. The Arctic is divided into arctic deserts of the earth, ice and polar. Simply put, on the territory of eternal snow and ice and patches of land with vegetation. The climate of the Arctic deserts, in view of their location in the natural zone, part of the geographical zone adjacent to the Arctic Ocean, is very cold and harsh. That is why they call this region of the Arctic deserts, the zone of eternal snow and ice. The arctic deserts of the earth are nothing but varieties of deserts, with very sparse and poor vegetation, among the ice and snow of the arctic belt of the earth.

Such deserts are distributed almost throughout Greenland, the northern part, most of North America, falling on the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and on a significant part of the islands with complex mountainous terrain, located in the icy ocean and having their own unique climate of the Arctic deserts. The cold climate of the Arctic deserts makes it impossible for vegetation to grow in abundance. Since, in short summers, the air temperature does not rise above 0 ° +5 °, in winter its average weighted temperature ranges from 10-35 °, and in the Greenland and Asian North to -50 °, -60 ° Celsius. Precipitation does not exceed the fallen rate of 200 - 400 millimeters per year. The Arctic deserts of the earth, during a short-term snowmelt, have insignificant land areas isolated by snow and ice - polar oases, where lichens, scale mosses and herbaceous vegetation in the form of sedge and simple grasses grow predominantly, up to approximately five tons of green mass per hectare. This is very, very little. But no matter how severe arctic desert climate, nature decreed that during the short cold summer, insignificant stony and swampy areas of soil freed from snow cover with beautiful colors that grow here, some types of flowers, such as buttercup, saxifrage, foxtail, polar poppy. Many of these plants, the peoples inhabiting the Far North, are considered medicinal. And for most of the animals common here, sparse vegetation is the main source of food. The almost never changing climate of the Arctic deserts has adapted for itself a small number of animal species that have chosen the territories of the harsh Arctic deserts. Here in this land, you can meet such animals as the polar fox, the "owner" of these glacial places, the polar bear, the Greenland musk bull, the small rodent lemming (pied), often in the summer, you can also see the polar hare, which was initially considered by scientists to be a hare .
The climate of the Arctic deserts, with its severity, did not affect the families of birds living here. Waders, geese, eiders, guillemots, guillemots, glaucous gulls, which from year to year, arriving here, collect their multi-million bird colonies here. And for such mammals as beluga whales, seals, ringed seals, sea seals, walruses, only the climate of the Arctic deserts and their immediate habitat, the Laptev Sea and the Kara Sea, are suitable for living. In the cold, phytoplankton is found in abundance and in sufficient quantities, such fish as nelma, cod, arctic cod, vendace. The Arctic deserts of the land, which polar bears have chosen, have been declared reserves, one of these is called Wrangel Island, the surface area of which is a continuous glacier strewn with broken stone and rubble. The climate of the Arctic deserts owes its formation not only to the low temperature of high latitude, but also to thermal reflection (albedo) during the daytime, from the surface of ice and snow, which is held in the Arctic, all year round. In summer, when the air temperature rises above zero, the effect of thermal reflection leads to a significant evaporation of moisture from the surface of the glaciers, so the sky of the Arctic deserts is almost constantly covered with low-weight lead clouds. It rains constantly, often with snow. Evaporation of water from the ocean opened from the ice contributes to the formation of thick fogs. Not the last influential role on the climate of the Arctic deserts is exerted by the underwater East Greenland Current and the clockwise movement of the ice field in the ocean caused by it with the ongoing removal of drifting ice into the Atlantic Ocean. An exceptionally last and no less important role in the climate of the Arctic deserts is played by permafrost, which fetters the land and waters of the Arctic with centuries of ice. The thickness of the permafrost ice shell ranges from 100 - 150 meters in the area of Franz Josef Land in the northern regions of the Taimyr Peninsula to 500 - 550 meters and over 680 meters on Novaya Zemlya. In some mountainous and elevated places, ice from the mainland, breaking off, slides into the ocean, forming giant floating icebergs. In such a natural way, mother herself - nature supports and regulates the harsh climate of the Arctic deserts.

The Arctic Desert, the northernmost of all natural zones, is part of the Arctic geographical zone and is located in the latitudes of the Arctic, stretching from Wrangel Island to the Franz Josef Land archipelago. This zone, which consists of all the islands of the Arctic Basin, is mostly covered with glaciers and snow, as well as rock fragments and rubble.

Arctic desert: location, climate and soil

The arctic climate means long, harsh winters and short cold summer without transitional seasons and with frosty weathering. In summer, the air temperature barely reaches 0 ° C, it often rains with snow, the sky is overcast with gray clouds, and the formation of thick fogs is due to the strong evaporation of ocean water. Such a harsh climate is formed both in connection with the critically low temperature of high latitudes, and due to the reflection of heat from the surface of ice and snow. For this reason, animals inhabiting the zone of the Arctic deserts have fundamental differences from representatives of the fauna living in continental latitudes - they are much easier to adapt to survive in such harsh climatic conditions.

The glacier-free space of the Arctic is literally shrouded in permafrost, therefore, the process of soil formation is at the initial stage of development and is carried out in a poor layer, which is also characterized by the accumulation of manganese and iron oxides. On fragments of various rocks, characteristic iron-manganese films are formed, which determine the color of the polar desert soil, while solonchak soils form in coastal areas.

There are practically no large stones and boulders in the Arctic, but small flat cobblestones, sand and, of course, the famous spherical concretions of sandstone and silicon, in particular, spherulites, are found here.

Vegetation of the arctic desert

The main difference between the Arctic and the tundra is that in the tundra there is the possibility of existence for a wide range of living creatures that can feed on its gifts, and in the Arctic desert it is simply impossible to do this. It is for this reason that there is no indigenous population on the territory of the Arctic islands and very few representatives of flora and fauna.

The territory of the Arctic desert is devoid of shrubs and trees, there are only isolated from each other and small areas with lichens and mosses of rocks, as well as various rocky soil algae. These small islands of vegetation resemble an oasis among the endless expanses of snow and ice. The only representatives of herbaceous vegetation are sedge and grasses, and flowering plants are saxifrage, polar poppy, alpine foxtail, ranunculus, grains, bluegrass and arctic pike.

Wildlife of the Arctic Desert

The terrestrial fauna of the northern region is relatively poor due to very sparse vegetation. Almost the only representatives of the animal world of the ice deserts are birds and some mammals.

The most common birds are:

In addition to the permanent inhabitants of the Arctic skies, migratory birds also appear here. When the day comes in the north, and the air temperature gets higher, birds from the taiga, tundra and continental latitudes arrive in the Arctic, therefore, black geese, white-tailed sandpipers, white geese, brown-winged plovers, ringed beetles, upland buzzards and dunlin periodically appear off the coast of the Arctic Ocean . With the onset of the cold seasons, the above species of birds return to the warmer climes of more southern latitudes.

Among the animals, one can distinguish the following representatives:

reindeer;
lemmings;
White bears;
hares;
seals;
walruses;
arctic wolves;
arctic foxes;
musk oxen;
beluga whales;
narwhals.

Polar bears have long been considered the main symbol of the Arctic, leading a semi-aquatic lifestyle, although the most diverse and numerous inhabitants of the harsh desert are sea birds that nest on cold rocky shores in summer, thereby forming "bird colonies".

Adaptation of animals to the arctic climate

All of the above animals forced to adapt to life in such harsh conditions, so they have unique adaptive features. Of course, the key problem of the Arctic region is the possibility of maintaining the thermal regime. To survive in such a harsh environment, it is with this task that animals must successfully cope. For example, arctic foxes and polar bears are saved from frost thanks to warm and thick fur, loose plumage helps birds, and for seals, their fat layer is saving.

An additional rescue of the animal world from the harsh Arctic climate is due to the characteristic color acquired immediately by the onset of the winter period. However, not all representatives of the fauna, depending on the season, can change the color given to them by nature, for example, polar bears remain the owners of snow-white fur throughout all seasons. The natural pigmentation of predators also has advantages - it allows them to successfully hunt and feed the whole family.

Interesting inhabitants of the icy depths of the Arctic

Russia belongs to the northernmost part of its territory and is located in the highest latitudes of the Arctic. The southern border is Wrangel Island (71°N), the northern border is the islands of Franz Josef Land (81°45′N). This zone includes: the northern outskirts of the Taimyr Peninsula, Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya, the northern island of Novaya Zemlya, the New Siberian Islands, Wrangel Island, as well as the Arctic seas, which are located between land areas.

Due to the high geographical latitude, this zone has very harsh nature. A feature of the landscape is an almost year-round cover of snow and ice. The average monthly air temperature exceeding 0°C is typical only for the lowlands, and only two or three months a year, not rising even in the hottest August time higher than +5°C in the south of the zone. Precipitation, in the form of snow, frost and hoarfrost, falls no more than 400 mm. The thickness of the snow cover is small - no more than half a meter. There are often strong winds, fogs and clouds.

The islands have a complex relief. For coastal areas with flat low plains, a pronounced zonal landscape is characteristic. The inland areas on the islands are characterized by the presence of high mountains and table plateaus. The highest elevation on Franz Josef Land is 670 m, on Novaya Zemlya and Severnaya Zemlya it is about 1000 m. Only on the New Siberian Islands is the flat relief prevailing. Significant areas of the Arctic deserts are occupied by glaciers (from 29.6 to 85.1%)

The total area of glaciation on the Russian islands of the Arctic is about 56 thousand km2. When the continental ice moves down to the coast and breaks off, it forms icebergs. Everywhere permafrost with a thickness that can exceed 500 m, incl. and fossil ices of glacier and vein origin.

The seas of the Arctic Ocean, which wash the archipelagos and islands, are covered with special ice - perennial Arctic pack and fast ice. Two main massifs - Canadian and Atlantic - are separated on the underwater Lomonosov Ridge. It is necessary to distinguish among the drifting ice of the Central Arctic and low-latitude territories fast ice, continental slope ice, and stationary fast ice polynyas. The last two types are characterized by the presence of open water, which is quite rich in various forms of organic life: phytoplankton, birds, large animals - polar bears, walruses, seals.

Due to the low temperature, intense frost weathering occurs, which slows down the intensity of chemical and natural weathering, so the soils and soils of this zone consist of large fragments of rocks. Due to frequent changes in air temperature and the close occurrence of permafrost, solifluction and heaving of soils occur. These cracked, ravine- and erosion-prone soils are called polygonal soils.

When permafrost thaws, it contributes to the formation of lakes, dips and depressions, which are characteristic of thermokarst landscapes (often found on the New Siberian Islands). Thermokarst and erosive erosion of the loose alluvial layer causes the appearance of conical earthen mounds, which are called baidzharakhs (height from 2 to 12 m). Baidzharakh small hillockiness is often found among the landscapes of the sea and lake coast of Taimyr and the New Siberian Islands.

The vegetation of the Arctic desert of Russia is distinguished by the fragmentation of vegetation cover, with a total cover of up to 65%. On internal plateaus, mountain peaks and moraines, such coverage does not occur more than 3%. The predominant plant species are mosses, algae, lichens (mainly scale), arctic flowering plants: snow saxifrage (Saxifraga nivalis), alpine foxtail (Alopecurus alpinus), buttercup (Ranunculus sulphureus), arctic pike (Deschampsia arctica), polar poppy (Papaver polare). There are no more than 350 species of higher plants in total. In the south, there are shrubs of polar willow (Salix polaris), saxifrage (Saxifraga oppo-sitifotia) and dryads (Dryas punctata).

The productive production of phytomass is very low - less than 5 t/ha, with a predominance of the above-ground part. This feature of the flora affects the scarcity of fauna in the ice zone. This is the habitat of lemmings (Lemmus), arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus), polar bears (Thalassarctos maritimus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus).

There are numerous colonies of sea birds on the steep banks. Of the 16 species of birds living here, 11 settle in this way: little auks, or little auks (Plotus alle), fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis), guillemots (Cepphus), guillemots (Uria), kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus ) and etc.

Video: Wildlife of Russia 5. Arctic / Arktika.1080r

The Arctic deserts of Russia are an amazing and mesmerizing world with their severity.

The natural zone of the Arctic deserts is the very top of our planet. Its lower border is located approximately at 71 parallels, so where is Wrangel Island. It covers all the islands of the Arctic Ocean and a few continents: Eurasia and North America.

Description Plan of the Natural Zone

In terms of describing any Natural Area, the following items are mandatory:

location geography;
climate;
vegetable world;
animal world.

Geographical position

Among all the natural zones of Russia, the Arctic desert zone is the most unexplored. Its lower borders are Wrangel Island (71 parallels) and the upper one is the island of the Franz Josef Land archipelago (81 parallels).

This area includes:

part of the Taimyr Peninsula;
land of Franz Josef;
northern land;
some islands of Novaya Zemlya;
Novosibirsk Islands;
Wrangel Island.

In addition, the territories of other countries belong to the Arctic desert zone:

the island of Greenland (Denmark);
archipelagos of Canada;
island of Svalbard (Netherlands).

Rice. 1. Arctic desert

Climate characteristic

Almost the whole year in these latitudes is winter. Temperatures in Celsius are very low. On average -30° in January with drops to -50° and -60°. In July, maximum warming is possible up to +5° - 10°. On average, in July it stays +3°.

Flora and fauna

The zone where the Arctic desert is located is covered with eternal ice and snow. Only on those short warm days is it possible to see oases of green vegetation. In addition to mosses and lichens, on stony soil there are: polar poppy, grains, chickweed, bluegrass, buttercup, saxifrage. Sedge and grasses grow in swampy mud.

The meager flora does not give animals a chance to survive. From the earth they resort here: polar wolf, arctic fox, lemming. Seals and walruses live near the ocean. But the biggest pride is polar bears. Their lifestyle allows them to spend most of their time on land, but they prefer to hunt and breed in water, while diving quite deep.

Rice. 3. A family of polar bears

There is a nature reserve on Wrangel Island, in which about 400 families of polar bears now live. Each of them has its own lair.

What have we learned?

The Arctic deserts are a very harsh region, stretching in the very north of our planet. There is practically no vegetation and a very poor fauna, but at the same time, those daredevils who were able to get here will be awarded an amazingly beautiful phenomenon - the northern lights.

Topic quiz

Report Evaluation

Average rating: 4.1. Total ratings received: 271.