The Arctic desert

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...

(WWF ID: PA1101) is a terrestrial ecoregion that covers the island groups of

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group rang ...

Franz Josef Land , native_name = , image_name = Map of Franz Josef Land-en.svg , image_caption = Map of Franz Josef Land , image_size = , map_image = Franz Josef Land location-en.svg , map_caption = Location of Franz Josef ...

, Severny Island and

Severnaya Zemlya Severnaya Zemlya (russian: link=no, Сéверная Земля́ (Northern Land), ) is a archipelago in the Russian high Arctic. It lies off Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula, separated from the mainland by the Vilkitsky Strait. This archipelago ...

in the Arctic Ocean, above 75 degrees north latitude. The region is covered with glaciers, snow, and bare rock in a harshly cold environment. The temperature does rise above freezing for short periods in the summer, so some ice melt occurs, and the area supports colonies of sea birds and mammals. It has an area of .

Location and description

The ecoregion stretches 2,000 km west-to-east, and 1,000 km north-to-south, across the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

north of Norway and Russia. It covers the island groups of Svalbard (Norway), Franz Josef Land (Russia), Severny Island (Russia), and Severnaya Zemlya (Russia).

Climate

The region has a

Tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mou ...

(Koppen classification ET). This climate is characterized by long, cold winters and very short summers with at least one month averaging over so that snow or ice might melt, but no month averages over . Mean precipitation at the Ernst Krenkel Observatory in Franz Josef Land has, since 1961, averaged 294 mm/year, with mean temperatures of in January, and in July.

Flora and fauna

Plant life is scarce due to the cold climate, but there is moss and lichen vegetation on 5-10% of the territory at low elevations and where bare rock or soil exists. The largest colonies of

Ivory gull The ivory gull (''Pagophila eburnea'') is a small gull, the only species in the genus ''Pagophila''. It breeds in the high Arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia. Taxonomy The ivory ...

are found in the region, as well as Atlantic walrus and Polar bear.

Protections

Over 36% of the ecoregion is in an officially protected area, including all or a portion of: *

Forlandet National Park Forlandet National Park lies on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. The park was created by a royal resolution on 1 June 1973 and covers the entire island of Prins Karls Forland and well as the sea around it. The Norwegian national park has ...

(Norway), covering Prins Karls Forland (island). * Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve (Norway), covering many islands in the Svalbard archipelago, much of which is glaciated, *

Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park ( no, Nordvest-Spitsbergen nasjonalpark) is located on the Norwegian arctic archipelago of Svalbard and includes parts of north-west Spitsbergen (Albert I Land and Haakon VII Land) and nearby islands such as D ...

(Norway), covering the northwestern portion of

Spitsbergen Spitsbergen (; formerly known as West Spitsbergen; Norwegian: ''Vest Spitsbergen'' or ''Vestspitsbergen'' , also sometimes spelled Spitzbergen) is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Nor ...

island. *

Nordre Isfjorden National Park Nordre Isfjorden National Park ( no, Nordre Isfjorden nasjonalpark) lies on Spitsbergen Island in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway. It lies across the Isfjorden north of Barentsburg. The park was opened in 2003. The park carries the name of the f ...

(Norway), covering a fjord in central

Spitzbergen Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group rang ...

Russian Arctic National Park Russian Arctic National Park (russian: Национальный парк "Русская Арктика") is a national park of Russia, which was established in June 2009. It was expanded in 2016, and it covers a large and remote area of the Ar ...

(Russia), covering Franz Josef Land, the northern tip of Severnaya Zemly, and other islands. * Sør-Spitsbergen National Park (Norway), covering the southern portion of

island. * Søraust-Svalbard Nature Reserve (Norway), covering the southeastern portion of the

archipelago.

References

{{reflist Ecoregions of Norway Ecoregions of Russia Tundra ecoregions

Location and description

Climate

Flora and fauna

Protections

See also

References