Soils+(Arctic+Tundra)

With an average winter temperature of -34 Celsius (-30 Fahrenheit) and 3-12 Celsius (37-54 Fahrenheit) the average summer temperature, the Arctic tundra soil is frozen and thawing out (G1). Because the Arctic is so cold, the arctic tundra's soil is not found in warmer regions. The ground below the surface remains frozen all year. This frozen section is known as the permafrost. Permafrost is a unique soil structure that dominates the arctic tundra's biology consisting of gravels and rock sediments consolidated by ice (G2). Because the permafrost permits water from seeping through, the water saturates the surface and in turn creates puddles, ponds, and bog. In some parts, the soil is warm enough to cause the ice to thaw out steadily. In the photo below, the white-gray layer is permafrost and rock, while the red and brown layer above it is the soil. "//Permafrost of Brooks Range in Alaska's Arctic region//" (G3)

The soil lacks nutrients, allowing only certain vegetation to grow; however, there are still a variety of plants that are able to prosper in this cold climate.The plant life comprises of moss, lichen, flowers, and shrubbery. These plants are able to survive because their roots take up small amounts of water that flow upon the hard soil. These plants are resilient to the nutrient-poor soil and harsh climates of the tundra (G4). The tundra also contains a significant pool of carbon, in form of soil organic matter made up of peat and hummus (G5). "//The ground dries at the surface, cracking up the frozen area with moss.//" (G6)

The landscape of the tundra is distinctive. The freezing and thawing creates distinct terrains including ice wedges, pingos, and palsas. Pingos can be created when water freezes underground, drives the soil upward, and creates a small hill (G7). Around 9-11,000 years ago, glaciers covered this area. They left behind infertile soil with an acidic pH of 3.5, along with fragments of mixed rock and sediment (G8). "//The Pingos of Tuktoyaktuk of Canada//" (G9)

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