King Oscar Fjord, Greenland (Denmark) Photograph by Peter Schmidt Mikkelsen   Nearctic Tundra   117,200 square miles (303,600 square kilometers) -- slightly larger than Arizona Relatively Stable/Intact

· Polar Desert
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Polar Desert

How do you think you’d feel if you wore your warmest winter coat in the desert? Probably not warm enough if you were in the polar desert of the Kalaallit Nunaat High Arctic Tundra. Although it is often referred to as a desert because of its lack of plant cover, the Kalaallit Nunaat ecoregion is, like other deserts, full of life.

Special Features

Plants cover less than five percent of this ecoregion because of the very cold temperatures, short growing season, and dry soil. Heath, mosses, and lichens are hardy enough to survive in the harsh climate, and flowering plants such as the Arctic poppy have blossoms that track the sun during the day, concentrating the sun’s heat on themselves.

	Arctic plants have their own built-in antifreeze. Researchers took the temperature of an Arctic moss cushion while the air was a chilly 10° F (-12° C) and found that the temperature inside the cushion was a balmy 50° F (10° C)!

Wild Side

Although plant cover is sparse in the Kalaallit Nunaat ecoregion, animal life isn’t! Arctic foxes, caribou, musk oxen, Arctic wolves, Arctic hares, and polar bears can all be seen roaming this cold, dry land. The foxes and hares develop a white coat in the winter, which helps camouflage them against the ice and snow. The wolves and polar bears keep their white coats all year. Thick fur and relatively large body size help the animals conserve heat.

Cause for Concern

Although it might seem too cold and far away to be threatened by humans, the Kalaallit Nunaat ecoregion faces several threats. Global climate change is raising temperatures in the region, which melts the polar ice and upsets the balance that has been struck between the plants and animals of the Arctic. Over-hunting is another threat facing animals such as seals, foxes, and polar bears.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.