Near Coppermine River, Nunavut, Canada Photograph by Lynda Dredge/Used with permission of the Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada   Northern North America: Northern Canada Tundra   307,500 square miles (796,500 square kilometers) -- slightly larger than Texas Relatively Stable/Intact

· Transition to Tundra
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Transition to Tundra

The undulating landscape of this ecoregion is dotted with numerous lakes, ponds, and wetlands. Many migratory birds depend on the habitat as their primary breeding and nesting grounds. Nearly the entire area is underlain with permafrost. Covering most of the area's surface is shrubby tundra vegetation. Much of this ecoregion is an area of transition between southern taiga forest species and the northern treeless tundra. Winters here are long and very cold. This is the major summer range and calving grounds of some of Canada's largest caribou herds: barren-ground caribou herd in the west, and woodland caribou in the east.

Special Features

Long, sinuous eskers -- ridges of gravel and sand that were created by streams flowing under glaciers and left behind when the glaciers receded -- reach lengths of up to 62 miles (100 kilometers) in this ecoregion. Almost all of the world's total breeding populations of Ross's geese nest in this area. The largest mainland muskox population and the only "blonde muskoxen" are also found here.

	The male narwhal has front teeth that grow through the upper lip into a spiraling tusk. A single tusk may weigh up to 20 pounds (9 kg) and reach 9 feet (3 m) in length!

Wild Side

Grizzly, black, and polar bears as well as the wolf, moose, Arctic ground squirrel, and brown lemming are some of the vertebrates that live in this ecoregion. Birds include the yellow-billed, red-throated, and Pacific loons, plus the tundra swan, snow goose, long-tailed duck, gyrfalcon, willow and rock ptarmigan, red-necked phalarope, parasitic jaeger, snowy owl, hoary redpoll, and snow bunting. Shorebirds flock to the tundra in the summer to breed. The vegetation consists of black and white spruces, tamarack, dwarf birch, willow, and species of heath. And don't forget, there are marine mammals here too: the walrus, beluga whale, and narwhal.

Cause for Concern

Approximately 95 percent of this ecoregion remains intact. Disturbance centers around human communities, abandoned military sites, and mining areas. Mining activities may cause the splitting up of caribou herds, particularly the seasonal range of the Bathurst herd. Deposits here are sought after for materials used in construction projects such as roadways and airstrips. There is also a risk of oil and chemical spills. Particularly vulnerable are beach ridges and glacial outwash areas. Ecotourism will have to be carefully managed to minimize the impact on nesting bird colonies, caribou calving grounds, and other sensitive wildlife areas. Global warming is melting the permafrost, which may disrupt the wetlands and cause the shifting of species ranges.

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