By Roger Lin, Andrew Braverman, Chris Baron, Jesse Carnegie

Most people picture an arctic area to look like this. However, an arctic tundra is not always a frozen wasteland. It houses animals and plants of all kinds and is habitable by man and could look something like this. Very nice!

During the summer the sun shines 24 hours a day. This has given the tundra the title of the midnight sun. The climate in the arctic tundra is usually extremely cold. The average winter temperature is -30 F Rainfall in tundra is usually 6-10 inches a year. Cold desert like conditions at times Land is usually covered in snow Summer lasts 6-10 weeks Average summer temperature is F (very good for snowball fights)

As this is an ARCTIC tundra, dress warmly as the temperature usually is very low. Heavy coats, boots, snow pants, gloves, hats and if you want snow goggles (Eskimo gear) Failure to bring proper clothing could result in illness, frostbite, or even death.

Although the arctic tundra is very cold, there are still many kinds of animals that live in these areas. Mammals include arctic foxes, Arctic hares, caribou, ermine, lemmings, musk oxen, polar bears, porcupines, Arctic shrews, squirrels, voles, weasels, wolves.  Isn’t that cute?

Birds include Arctic loons, snowy owls, falcons, ptarmigans, ravens, snow buntings, snow birds, snow geese, sandpipers, Arctic terns, tundra swans, and many species of gulls.

Finally, the different kinds of fishes are cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout Insects are Arctic bumblebees, blackflies, flies, grasshoppers, mosquitoes, and moths.

Although the arctic tundra does not have any trees, it does have many plants and flowers some of them being: -Arctic Moss, Genus: Calliergon; Species: giganteum -Arctic Willow, Genus: Salix; Species: Arctica -Bearberry, Genus: Arctostaphylos; Species: uva-ursi -Caribou Moss, Genus: Cladonia; Species: rangiferina -Diamond-leaf Willow, Genus: Salix; Species: pulcha -Labrador Tea, Genus: Ledum; Species: groenlandicum -Pasque Flower, Genus: Anemone; Species: patens -Tufted Saxifrage, Genus: Saxifraga; Species: caespitosa

-The word tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi which means treeless wasteland. -The arctic tundra is indeed a treeless wasteland in some areas. -Contains up to 2000 feet of permafrost in Alaska and 5000 feet of permafrost in Siberia in thickness of permafrost layer. Permafrost is permanently frozen land. -The Arctic landscape includes high mountains, sedimentary plain, exposed bedrock, and lowlands, most of it with little or no soil development. -While these lands seem highly inhospitable, they nevertheless nourish a variety of wildlife well suited to the harsh climate and scarce resources. The caribou gather here in large herds, while wolves and foxes wander over great distances in search of prey. -The polar bear, for its part, prefers the edge of the ocean, where it can feast on fish and marine mammals such as seals.

The arctic tundra may seem like another useless pile of snow and land, but it does serve many purposes for humans and even some for the earth. Humans often venture to the arctic tundra for economic reasons. Whether its for digging out its natural resources or hunting for the fur the animals there have, it is profitable for human use. As for the earth help, the arctic tundra due to its position being in the high latitudes of the earth, experience the most temperature change due to global warming and pollution. By analyzing this, humans can tell whether they are using too many fossil fuels and causing too much pollution.

There way are many things you could do in this biome. Use your imagination. Here are a few ways you could have fun in the arctic tundra: - Snowball fights! One of the best ways to have fun during the winter - Ice skating/ hockey. Hey if your bored and you just so happened to bring your blades, takem’ for a roll on the ice areas. Just be careful not to skate in cracked areas! - Hunting. This is a hunters dream. There are deer, hares, rabbits, moose, and plenty of other animals are good game and meat for you and your friends. In addition to that, you can make coats using the fur you get from the animals - Ice fishing. For those of you who want to try something new try ice fishing. Simply find a crack in some ice, break a hole, then drop your rod down and try to catch something. Again, make sure you don’t fall into your own hole! -Sightsee! All over this place you will see animals that you would normally never see wide out in the open. Also, the mountains are great for climbers who want to just get a nice vast view of everything.

In the end, the arctic tundra is just a fun place to be! Sightseeing, having fun, hunting, fishing, snowball fighting, hiking, or just camping out in the open, use your imagination and just have fun with it! Trust me, its FUN!! What he said.