Distribution
The Tundra is mostly located in the northern hemisphere encircling the North Pole, with small regions of tundra-like landscape located around the south pole. Tundra covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface, and is one of the coldest, driest environments found on Earth. Its location is limited by the unique conditions required to maintain the permafrost that can extend up to 1.500 feet beneath the surface, although global warming is causing this unique landscape to shrink more every year.
Physical damage caused by developing land (i.e. building roads, buildings, etc) also causes substantial damage to the tundra as something as inconspicuous as a tire track can thaw the underlying permafrost and develop into something as large as a lake over time (Blue).
Physical damage caused by developing land (i.e. building roads, buildings, etc) also causes substantial damage to the tundra as something as inconspicuous as a tire track can thaw the underlying permafrost and develop into something as large as a lake over time (Blue).