Kola Peninsula tundra


The Kola Peninsula tundra ecoregion is an ecoregion that covers the northeastern half of the Kola Peninsula, along the coast of the White Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. The maritime effects of the White Sea create a milder climate than would be expected for a region of this latitude. It is in the Palearctic realm, and the tundra biome. It has an area of.

Location and description

The northernmost segments of this ecoregion are on the northern coast of Fennoscandia, facing the Barents Sea. The more southerly regions are the northeastern edge of the Kola Peninsula, facing the White Sea.

Climate

The region has a Humid continental climate - cool summer subtype. This climate is characterized by high variation in temperature, both daily and seasonally; with long, cold winters and short, cool summers with no averaging over. Mean precipitation is about 512 mm/year. The mean temperature at the center of the ecoregion is in January, and in July.

Flora and fauna

The cold climate and northerly latitude puts much of the region above the arctic treeline, with trees limited or sparse. The flora is primarily mosses, lichens and shrubs. Among the shrubs are the dwarf birch and the Camemoro. Large mammals of the area include herds of reindeer, which migrate into the tundra in Spring from the boreal forests to the south.

Protections

There are few significant nationally protected areas in this ecoregion, but there are two segments of the Kandalaksha Nature Reserve on the north coast of the Kola Peninsula.