Threats and Human Impact on the Biome
The arctic tundra is a very fragile environment. The smallest stresses can cause destruction on the biome and its flora and fauna. Global warming and the extracting of oil and gas from the tundra are the biggest threats. Human settlement and population are beginning to have an increasingly worrying effect on the biome.
Oil, gas and valuable resources such as diamond and gold, have recently been discovered in arctic tundra regions. This has led to mining operations commencing, where big oil rigs have opened up to drill oil from the sea and natural gas being extracted from underneath the tundra. Because of this, many people have moved to the tundra to work in the mines or oil rigs. They have created new towns and roads, which disrupt the feeding patterns of many animals that try to pass the towns in search for food. The animals are either shot at or scared away, which starves the animals, as they cannot reach their food supply. Pollution from extracting oil and gas has polluted the air and many bodies of water. Oil spills have occurred near the biome, which affects the environment of the tundra region. Many animals have died from the poisonous chemicals in oil, and many have had to undergo rehabilitation to recover.
As the planet gradually warms up, due to the burning of fossil fuels and air pollution, permafrost and snow found in the arctic tundra is melting, causing the ecosystem to collapse. Snow and permafrost are essential to all life in the tundra, as they are habitats for many of the fauna that live in this biome. As the snow covering melts and the temperature rises, many animals are losing their homes and are starving. Some animals are experiencing competition with other foreign animals for food and territory, such as the Arctic fox. As the temperatures in the biome are increasing, the red fox from the southern regions is competing against the Arctic fox for food and territory. Because the Arctic fox, like most animals from the tundra, are sensitive to environmental changes, the Arctic fox population is slowly declining.
Oil, gas and valuable resources such as diamond and gold, have recently been discovered in arctic tundra regions. This has led to mining operations commencing, where big oil rigs have opened up to drill oil from the sea and natural gas being extracted from underneath the tundra. Because of this, many people have moved to the tundra to work in the mines or oil rigs. They have created new towns and roads, which disrupt the feeding patterns of many animals that try to pass the towns in search for food. The animals are either shot at or scared away, which starves the animals, as they cannot reach their food supply. Pollution from extracting oil and gas has polluted the air and many bodies of water. Oil spills have occurred near the biome, which affects the environment of the tundra region. Many animals have died from the poisonous chemicals in oil, and many have had to undergo rehabilitation to recover.
As the planet gradually warms up, due to the burning of fossil fuels and air pollution, permafrost and snow found in the arctic tundra is melting, causing the ecosystem to collapse. Snow and permafrost are essential to all life in the tundra, as they are habitats for many of the fauna that live in this biome. As the snow covering melts and the temperature rises, many animals are losing their homes and are starving. Some animals are experiencing competition with other foreign animals for food and territory, such as the Arctic fox. As the temperatures in the biome are increasing, the red fox from the southern regions is competing against the Arctic fox for food and territory. Because the Arctic fox, like most animals from the tundra, are sensitive to environmental changes, the Arctic fox population is slowly declining.