To save another thread from being derailed any worse than it already has been, starting with post #16: Citizen's Arrest? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board
Is “frozen tundra” a redundancy?
Technically, no. “Tundra” has the specific meaning of being a place where limited sunlight and temperature limit tree growth.
But all tundra on this planet is frozen for a pretty large part of the year and all, or just about all, has permafrost. There’s nowhere that is tundra that is not frozen a lot. It’s theoretically possible to have tundra that isn’t generally frozen, but we don’t have any examples. So PRACTICALLY speaking, it’s sort of redundant.
No. Tundra, or at least its surface layer, is not always frozen. The vegetative layer and the top layers of soil thaw out during the summer, even if there is permafrost below.
Not at all. Tundra can be quite lush in summer (Here), lots of green grass, moss, and lichens. Frozen permafrost might be redundant, but in the tundra permafrost can start anywhere from several inches to several meters below the surface during summertime.
No. As I said in the other thread, tundra refers to the plant communites that form in areas of low temperatures. If it was permanently frozen it wouldn’t be tundra, it would be ice or rock.
If it doesn’t thaw out every year long enough to support plant growth, then it’s not tundra, therefore tundra must be unfrozen some of the time, therefore frozen tundra is not a redundancy.
No.
“Frozen” is not one of the defining features of tundra.
Not after global warming.
Only at Lambeau Field in December and January.
As I noted in the other thread, sometimes tundra climate is a function of high altitude rather than high latitude. IIRC, there are even a couple of cases of equatorial tundra in the Andes. And often the depth-to-bedrock is such that permafrost is absent; it’s tundra because it’s ground cover above the tree line.
In Alaska, the lichens and other vegetation of the tundra provide forage for caribou, as it does for the reindeer of Scandinavia. Berries that grow there (such as cloudberries and blueberries) are an important part of the Native diet.
Since 1975 (first year of college)I haven’t been able to see or hear the word “tundra” without thinking about trudging across one, mile after mile. Right down to the parish of St. Alfonzo.
I ran around on tundra for a few minutes in Alaska, in August. Our bus pulled over to the side of the dirt/gravel road and we tourists all got out to take pictures and stretch our legs (Dalton Highway - loooong trip on a bus). In the spirit of stretching my legs, and to run on tundra, I took off a ways perpendicular to the road. Very spongy, and almost as difficult as running in sand. Didn’t seem to stop the grizzly bears in the distance, which got me running back to the bus pronto!
Definitely not frozen at that time.
Coming up next: why do people say “ATM machine”?
