Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 07/24/2008 - 16:14
Forums
High Arctic Change 08

I'm interested in the plants that survive such harsh conditions. The saxifraga photo is really interesting. What else is growing? Is the soil just gravel? Are there pollinators? Are seeds spread by birds?

Tom Gray, Chatham, NJ

PS: Missy - looks like you're having a lot of fun (except for the falling in the water part)! Keep up the good work.

Fri, 07/25/2008 - 05:15

Missy Holzer

Hi Tom!
Great question! Like you, I'm interested in the flora up here, which is pretty much non-existent. I've seen a few wild flowers although all of them grow very low to the ground. There is one flower that looks a lot like our mountain pinks and it blooms from the south facing part of the mound to the north facinig part of the mound. Once it blooms on the north it means that winter is soon to follow. There are mounds and mounds of mosses and some grasses.
As far as dispersal goes, I suspect wind is the vehicle since the birds and wildlife are few and far between.
The soil varies from place to place, and I don't suspect it is at all well developed into horizons like what we have in NJ. The active layer of the permafrost (the layer that defrosts) increases as the sunlight increases, and is composed of soil separates (silt, clay) and stones deposited from past periods of glaciation.
Fortunately outdoor clothing dries pretty quickly! :)
keep cool down there!!
 
Missy Holzer