Kalaallit Nunaat Arctic Steppe | |
---|---|
Ecology | |
Realm | Nearctic |
Biome | Tundra |
Borders | Kalaallit Nunaat high arctic tundra |
Geography | |
Area | 171,411 km2 (66,182 sq mi) |
Country | Denmark |
State | Greenland |
The Kalaallit Nunaat Arctic Steppe ecoregion covers the low coastal areas of western and southern Greenland, reaching in up to 100 km before bare rock and ice become dominant. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] While much of the ecoregion is bare rock or ice, about 50% of the ground is covered in moss and lichen, and another 10% in herbaceous cover, shrubs, and even small stands of trees. [4]
The ecoregion covers the southern coastal fringe of Greenland, from a high of 75° N latitude at Melville Bay, around the southern coast to 70° N at Scoresby Bay on the east coast. The coastal bands north of this are in the Kalaallit Nunaat high arctic tundra ecoregion. The coast is rugged, with a mean elevation of 561 metres (1,841 ft), with deep inlets from the sea. [5]
The climate of the ecoregion is Tundra climate ( Köppen climate classification ET), a local climate in which at least one month has an average temperature high enough to melt snow (0 °C (32 °F)), but no month with an average temperature in excess of 10 °C (50 °F). [6] [7] Due to the East Greenland Current, the east coast is colder than the west coast.
On the west coast, the relatively warmer climate supports a dwarf-scrub heath and steppe-like vegetation. The warmest and driest areas, at the head of fjords, there are sheltered areas that support scrub and low forests of green alder ( Alnus alnobetula), white birch ( Betula pubescens), and Greenland mountain ash ( Sorbus groenlandica). [2] The birches are typically under 2 meters tall, though some can grow to 10 meters. The most southerly areas are dwarf-scrub heath (42%), dry meadow (18%) and lichen heath. [2]
About 5% of the ecoregion is officially protected. [4] These protected areas include: