Tabor Weather Station, Sakha Republic, Russia Photograph by John Lamoreux   Palaearctic Tundra   85,900 square miles (222,600 square kilometers) -- about the size of Mississippi and Kentucky combined Relatively Stable/Intact

· Rolling Along the Rivers
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Rolling Along the Rivers

Rolling tundra and rushing rivers make up an ecoregion that is rarely seen by human eyes. But that does not mean that this coastal region is unpopulated; numerous species of birds stop here to breed as part of their annual migrations, and other animals are found here all year long.

Special Features

This ecoregion contains several major river systems, including the Yana, Khroma, Indigirka, Alazeya, and Kolyma rivers. These waterways can be found amid typical arctic tundra, sparse patches of larch trees, volcanic rocks, and sandy soils. Common plant species include cotton grass, sedges, dryas, willows, crowberry, cranberry, and mosses. Permafrost, or permanently frozen ground, lies beneath the entire ecoregion.

	Like a few other arctic species, the arctic fox changes colors with the seasons. Gray or almost blue in the summertime, the fox’s coat turns white in the winter. This makes it easier to go unnoticed when it sneaks behind polar bears to eat some of their leftover food.

Wild Side

The large deltas formed by the rivers in this ecoregion are among the most important bird breeding grounds in the world. Between 40 and 60 breeding species can be found here each summer, including a majority of the world’s population of two sea duck species including Steller’s eiders and spectacled eiders. Other important birds include red-throated loons, black brant, willow ptarmigans, snow buntings, and sharp-tailed and broad-billed curlews. Mammals include polar bears, caribou, and arctic foxes.

Cause for Concern

The coastal areas of this ecoregion are among the least explored areas of the world--and remain relatively untouched by humans. However, mining operations in upstream river systems may harm breeding areas for this ecoregion’s birds. Gold mining and the operation of a tin combine have already destroyed fisheries and altered natural habitat on the Khroma River. A proposed northern shipping route may open sensitive arctic areas to oil and gas extraction as well.

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