scuola energia e ambiente
Tundra
The limit for arboreal vegetation, the trees are bare on the side that the wind blows. The flowering plants remain short, grass and moss and lichens survive better near the ground. This is the landscape of the Arctic zone in America, in Europe and Asia, where the climate is dry and cold. In the Arctic tundra the ground is frozen all year round, and can extend deeply for hundreds of metres. Reindeer, hares, Arctic foxes, ermines and numerous migrating species can be seen in the Arctic tundra.
subjects dealt with in Tundra
Tundra biome
The word “tundra” comes from a Lapp word, meaning “barren land”. The area is flat, with scarce vegetation and virtually…
Man and tundra
The Samis, normally known as Lapps, live in a very wide territory stretching from the coasts of Norway to the…
A sensitive habitat
Although remote and far away, the tundra is not spared the negative impact of some of man’s activities. Its most…
special reports
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10 February 2014 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
29 April 2013 / Ecosystems
Intruders in the Mediterranean
Mare Nostrum The Mediterranean Sea (Mare Nostrum, Latin for “Our Sea”) has always been considered of fundamental importance for the…
1 August 2012 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
Sustainable holidays Lately we have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when…
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8 July 2011 / Ecosystems
Who's coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
8 April 2011 / Ecosystems
Protected areas
Taking a look at the past Protecting nature, at least as a general concept, has rather old origins; in fact…
15 March 2008 / Ecosystems
Biodiversity
Defining biodiversity Much is said about biodiversity and of the need to protect it. But what is biodiversity? And why…
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1 November 2007 / Ecosystems
The environment and health
Two faces of the same coin The topic of the relationship between the environment and health is very transversal, i.e.…
13 October 2007 / Ecosystems
Environmental risk in Nepal
Institutional management The government institution in charge of management of natural resources in Nepal, is the Ministry of Population and…
1 June 2007 / Ecosystems
Nepal’s natural resources
The country Morphological characteristics Nepal is a relatively small country with a total area of little less than 150,000 square…
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10 February 2014 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
29 April 2013 / Ecosystems
Intruders in the Mediterranean
Mare Nostrum The Mediterranean Sea (Mare Nostrum, Latin for “Our Sea”) has always been considered of fundamental importance for the…
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1 August 2012 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
Sustainable holidays Lately we have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when…
8 July 2011 / Ecosystems
Who's coming to dinner
A shark in my hamburger Summer is finally here! As usual, we have waited for it all year long and…
-
8 April 2011 / Ecosystems
Protected areas
Taking a look at the past Protecting nature, at least as a general concept, has rather old origins; in fact…
15 March 2008 / Ecosystems
Biodiversity
Defining biodiversity Much is said about biodiversity and of the need to protect it. But what is biodiversity? And why…
10 February 2014 / Ecosystems
Coral turns pale!
The delicate balance of the coral reef “When looking at a coral reef, we are fascinated by the enormous variety…
29 April 2013 / Ecosystems
Intruders in the Mediterranean
Mare Nostrum The Mediterranean Sea (Mare Nostrum, Latin for “Our Sea”) has always been considered of fundamental importance for the…
1 August 2012 / Ecosystems
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
Sustainable holidays Lately we have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when…
from the Multimedia section
curiosities
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An environmental quality indicator
The tundra, which is extremely rich in lichens, proved very useful to study the world’s distribution of pollutants: the wind…
A frozen mammoth
During the Pleistocene (approximately 1.5 million years ago), the tundra covered all central Europe and was inhabited by spectacular animals,…
A meteorite explodes in the tundra
The Siberian tundra is also known for a spectacular astronomic event. On June 30th, 1908, in a remote region of…
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Let’s save the baby seals
In Canada, Norway and Greenland, baby seals are killed for their skin and fur, to be sold all over the…
A witness of the ancient times
Baltic amber is largely used to make jewels. Amber is a resin that took origin thousands of years ago from…
Treatment with lime trees
Some parts of the plants have healing properties: lime trees are among the most common ones. Lime trees (Tilia cordata)…
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The concentration of elements
In nature the quantity of elements is extremely important: the substances that are necessary to living organisms are often more…
Long ears as air conditioners
As far as the physiological adaptations of desert animals are concerned, the alterations of the appendages (ears, paws, tail)…
Coconut palms
Coral islands are the ideal habitat of coconut palms, probably the most commonly grown palm in the world. Coconuts are…
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An environmental quality indicator
The tundra, which is extremely rich in lichens, proved very useful to study the world’s distribution of pollutants: the wind…
A frozen mammoth
During the Pleistocene (approximately 1.5 million years ago), the tundra covered all central Europe and was inhabited by spectacular animals,…
-
A meteorite explodes in the tundra
The Siberian tundra is also known for a spectacular astronomic event. On June 30th, 1908, in a remote region of…
Let’s save the baby seals
In Canada, Norway and Greenland, baby seals are killed for their skin and fur, to be sold all over the…
-
A witness of the ancient times
Baltic amber is largely used to make jewels. Amber is a resin that took origin thousands of years ago from…
Treatment with lime trees
Some parts of the plants have healing properties: lime trees are among the most common ones. Lime trees (Tilia cordata)…
An environmental quality indicator
The tundra, which is extremely rich in lichens, proved very useful to study the world’s distribution of pollutants: the wind…
A frozen mammoth
During the Pleistocene (approximately 1.5 million years ago), the tundra covered all central Europe and was inhabited by spectacular animals,…
A meteorite explodes in the tundra
The Siberian tundra is also known for a spectacular astronomic event. On June 30th, 1908, in a remote region of…