Beringia upland tundra
Encyclopedia
The Beringia upland tundra is a mountainous tundra
ecoregion
of North America, on the west coast of Alaska
.
coast of Alaska: the hills and mountains of the Seward Peninsula
; the Ahklun Mountains
in the southwest; and the hilly western half of St. Lawrence Island
in the Bering Sea. All these are hilly areas climbing sometimes to steep barren mountain up to 1500m, and which still have a number of cirque glacier
s. The climate varies of course from the coast to the icy peaks.
s and other tundra plants, depending on altitude and drainage. The low-lying, wetter areas are similar to the surrounding Beringia lowland tundra
ecoregion but the uplands are generally drier and dominated by sedge
s such as Eriophorum vaginatum
and scrub such as the ericas Arctostaphylos alpina, Vaccinium vitis-idaea
or Empetrum nigrum
or mountain-avens (Dryas octopetala
) and dwarf arctic birch (Betula nana). Sheltered valleys will have some spruce or poplar trees picea glauca and populus balsamifera
. The Seward Peninsula is vulnerable to fire when the lichens dry out in summer
(Numenius tahitiensis) which breeds only in Alaska, spectacled eider
(Somateria fishceri), a number of turnstone
s (Arenaria spp.), and in the river valleys blackpoll warbler
s (Dendroica striata). The cliffs of the Seward Peninsula
and St. Lawrence Island
in particular are nesting sites for a variety of seabirds including common murre and thick-billed murre (Uria aalge and Uria lomvia) and tufted puffin
(Fratercula cirrhata)
The ecoregion also includes the Walrus Islands
in Togiak Bay
which as the name would suggest are home to Alaska's largest concentration of walrus in summer.
, Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
, and Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
.
Tundra
In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of North America, on the west coast of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Location
This ecoregion consists of three separate but similar areas of the Bering SeaBering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
coast of Alaska: the hills and mountains of the Seward Peninsula
Seward Peninsula
The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It projects about into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea, and Kotzebue Sound, just below the Arctic Circle...
; the Ahklun Mountains
Ahklun Mountains
The Ahklun Mountains are located in the northeast section of the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Alaska. They extend southwest from the Kanektok and Narogurum Rivers to Hagemeister Strait and Kuskokwim Bay and support the only existing glaciers in western Alaska...
in the southwest; and the hilly western half of St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait, at about 63°30' North 173°20' West. The village of Gambell is located on the northwest cape, from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East. The island is part of Alaska, but closer to...
in the Bering Sea. All these are hilly areas climbing sometimes to steep barren mountain up to 1500m, and which still have a number of cirque glacier
Cirque glacier
A cirque glacier is formed in a cirque, bowl-shaped depressions on the side of or near mountains. Snow and ice accumulation in corries often occurs as the result of avalanching from higher surrounding slopes....
s. The climate varies of course from the coast to the icy peaks.
Flora
The slopes are covered with a variety of lichenLichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s and other tundra plants, depending on altitude and drainage. The low-lying, wetter areas are similar to the surrounding Beringia lowland tundra
Beringia lowland tundra
The Beringia lowland tundra is a tundra ecoregion of North America, on the west coast of Alaska, mostly covered in wetland.-Setting:These are areas of flat, wet, lowland on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska north as far as the Kotzebue Sound, and on the eastern coasts of the offshore St Lawrence...
ecoregion but the uplands are generally drier and dominated by sedge
Sedge
- Plants :* Acorus calamus, sweet flag, a plant in the Acoraceae family* Any of the plants in the family Cyperaceae- Animals :* A collective noun for several species of birds, including bitterns, cranes and herons* Sedge-fly, caddisfly- Other uses :...
s such as Eriophorum vaginatum
Eriophorum vaginatum
Eriophorum vaginatum L. is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the family Cyperaceae, native to bogs and other acidic wetlands throughout the Holarctic Kingdom. It is a 30-60 cm high tussock-forming plant with erect solitary spikelets.-External links:* in Flora of North America*...
and scrub such as the ericas Arctostaphylos alpina, Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Vaccinium vitis-idaea is a short evergreen shrub in the heath family that bears edible sour fruit, native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Eurasia to North America. In the past it was seldom cultivated, but fruit was commonly collected in the wild. ...
or Empetrum nigrum
Empetrum nigrum
Empetrum nigrum is a species of crowberry known as black crowberry which is native to most northern areas of the northern hemisphere, as well as the Falkland Islands in the southern hemisphere....
or mountain-avens (Dryas octopetala
Dryas octopetala
Dryas octopetala is an arctic-alpine flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It is a small prostrate evergreen subshrub forming large colonies, and is a popular flower in rock gardens...
) and dwarf arctic birch (Betula nana). Sheltered valleys will have some spruce or poplar trees picea glauca and populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera, commonly called balsam poplar, bamtree, eastern balsam poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca,...
. The Seward Peninsula is vulnerable to fire when the lichens dry out in summer
Fauna
Birds of this coast include the rare shorebird bristle-thighed curlewBristle-thighed Curlew
The Bristle-thighed Curlew, Numenius tahitiensis, is a large shorebird that breeds in Alaska and winters on tropical Pacific islands. It has a long, decurved bill and bristled feathers at the base of the legs. Its length is about 43 cm and wingspan about 84 cm...
(Numenius tahitiensis) which breeds only in Alaska, spectacled eider
Spectacled Eider
The Spectacled Eider is a large sea duck that breeds on the coasts of Alaska and northeastern Siberia.The lined nest is built on tundra close to the sea, and 5–9 eggs are laid. This species dives for crustaceans and molluscs...
(Somateria fishceri), a number of turnstone
Turnstone
Turnstones are the bird species in the genus Arenaria in the family Scolopacidae. They are closely related to calidrid sandpipers and might be considered members of the tribe Calidriini....
s (Arenaria spp.), and in the river valleys blackpoll warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
The Blackpoll Warbler, Dendroica striata , is a New World warbler. Breeding males are mostly black and white. They have a prominent black cap, white cheeks and white wing bars. The Blackpoll breeds in northern North America, from Alaska, through most of Canada, and into the Great Lakes region and...
s (Dendroica striata). The cliffs of the Seward Peninsula
Seward Peninsula
The Seward Peninsula is a large peninsula on the western coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It projects about into the Bering Sea between Norton Sound, the Bering Strait, the Chukchi Sea, and Kotzebue Sound, just below the Arctic Circle...
and St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait, at about 63°30' North 173°20' West. The village of Gambell is located on the northwest cape, from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East. The island is part of Alaska, but closer to...
in particular are nesting sites for a variety of seabirds including common murre and thick-billed murre (Uria aalge and Uria lomvia) and tufted puffin
Tufted Puffin
The Tufted Puffin also known as Crested Puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family found throughout the North Pacific Ocean....
(Fratercula cirrhata)
The ecoregion also includes the Walrus Islands
Walrus Islands
The Walrus Islands are a group of craggy coastal islands in the Bering Sea, close to the northern shores of Bristol Bay, Alaska at the entrance to Togiak Bay. They are located 18 km to the east of Hagemeister Island....
in Togiak Bay
Togiak Bay
Togiak Bay is an 18-mile-long bay in the U.S. state of Alaska. It extends southwest from the Togiak River to Hagemeister Island and east 25 miles from Tongue Point to the mouth of the Negukthlik River....
which as the name would suggest are home to Alaska's largest concentration of walrus in summer.
Threats and preservation
There are small human communities in the region, some mining on the Seward Peninsula and some possible over-hunting of caribou, but these are large blocks of largely unspoilt habitat. Protected areas include Wood-Tikchik State ParkWood-Tikchik State Park
Wood-Tikchik State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Alaska north of Dillingham. Over 1.6 million acres in area—about the size of the state of Delaware, it is the largest state park in Alaska....
, Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge covering about in southwestern Alaska. It is the second-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the country, only slightly smaller than the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It is a coastal plain extending to the...
, and Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Togiak National Wildlife Refuge
Dominated by the Ahklun Mountains in the north and the cold waters of Bristol Bay to the south, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge confronts the traveler with a kaleidoscope of landscapes. The natural forces that have shaped this land range from the violent and powerful to the geologically patient...
.