Alpine Tundra
By: Claire Doyle & Kristie L'ecuyer S4
What is an Alpine Tundra?
The most famous example of an alpine tundra are the Swiss Alps in south-west Europe.
Location
Separates Switzerland from France, Germany, Austria, and Italy.
Absolute: 46.6 degrees North, 8.6 degrees East
Relative: North of Italy, South of Germany, East of France, Within the Alps Mountain Range
Place
Physical Chracteristics: Switzerland's climate is generally temperate, with snowy winters and humid summers. There is significant variation in precipitation, in the forms of either rain or snow, is partially due to differences in elevation but is also related to the mixing of air masses from the Mediterranean Sea and northern Europe. Specific landforms in the Swiss Alps include glaciers, snowy-peaked mountain ranges, deep valleys, rivers, forests, and waterfalls. Although the high-elevation limits plant growth, deciduous trees, coniferous trees, moss, lichen, edelweiss, spruce trees, alpine pasque-flower, glacier buttercup, and the rusty-leaved alpenrose can all be found in the Swiss Alps. Animals found in this region included ibexes, marmots, red deers, foxes, mountain hares, chamois, various birds, lynxes, and bears.
Human Characteristics: The Swiss Alps are situated at the historic border between the Germanic linguistic region of northern Europe and the region of Romance languages to the south. Officially, the country has four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansch. There is currently no established state religion and the Swiss are very tolerant of religious diversity. Some common religions include Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodox.
Human-Environment Interaction
Hilltops
Some areas are green and tree-sudded, and some are rocky and frigid. Only few trees are able to grow in some patches due to the tree line because of air pressure.
Mountain Trains to Reach the Higher Elevations
The villages in the valleys are very traditional due to isolation prior to the invention of trains, cars, etc.
The View
In the Swiss Alps, there are some amazing views. A way to see these views is by taking a mountain train to your destinations.
Movement
Region
Alpine tundras have a more moderate climate that can vary with altitude. For example, during the summer months, the temperature can go below 0 degrees on mountain summits, and can go steady at 80 degrees fahrenheit in the valleys and plains below. The tundra is a very cold and dry biome for the most part, and since the origin of the word "tundra" comes from the Finnish word "tuntuiri", meaning tree-less plain, it is safe to conclude that the alpines tundra is a rough place for plants and trees to flourish. The growing seasons are short, and they mostly farm animals, not crops, in the farms in the region. A few plants that are durable enough to survive here round year are the Heath Plant, Lichen, and Dwarfed Shrubs.
Bibliography
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