It is the Arctic's permafrost that is the foundation for much of the region's unique ecosystem, and

it is the permafrost that is deteriorating with the warmer global climate. Permafrost is a layer of
frozen soil and dead plants that extends some 1,476 feet (450 meters) under the surface. In much
of the Arctic, it is frozen year round. In the southern regions of the Arctic, the surface layer above
the permafrost melts during the summer and this forms bogs and shallow lakes that invite an
explosion of animal life. Insects swarm around the bogs, and millions of migrating birds come to
feed on them. Permafrost has the ability to preserve plants and animals in the cold ice for long
periods of time. Scientists can use the permafrost as a record of the past to learn about climate.
These records are a tool to compare past climates with the current climate to see how much the
earth may be warming.

The tundra is the coldest and the driest of all the biomes on Earth. There is very little rainfall in
the tundra; it rains less than ten inches a year.The tundra has two distinct seasons: a long winter
and a short summer. Being so far north, the tundra has long nights in the winter and long days in
the summer. The winter lasts around 8 months and is extremely cold. In the middle of winter the
sun may not rise for weeks. The tundra is frozen and often covered with snow during the winter
and will reach temperatures of -60 degrees F. The summer is shorter and is marked by the other
extreme of the sun not setting. In the middle of summer the sun will be up for 24 hours. During
the summer the temperatures may reach 50 degrees F causing the snow to melt in areas and
wetlands to form.

The tundra may seem tough, but it is a very sensitive environment. More people have recently
been moving to the tundra to work in the mines and oil industry. New towns and roads are being
built to support the increased population. Developments have interrupted many of the animals’
migrations and feeding patterns, as well as caused damage to the permafrost. It takes so long for
the tundra to recover that tire tracks and footprints remain on the ground for decades after they
were made. In areas of the tundra there are also many natural resources, such as oil. People worry
that pollution from these mines and rigs may ruin the fragile ecosystem. Insects bombard the
tundra in the summer and birds flock there to eat them. Pesticides used to control insects may
work their way up through the food chain and affect many of the animals that live on the tundra.
We need to be careful with the delicate tundra environment.