Tundra

noun (uncountable, also used attributively)

/ˈtʌndrə/

A treeless biome of the Arctic and subarctic zones, and at high altitudes (alpine tundra), characterised by permafrost, a short growing season, low shrubs, sedges, mosses, and lichens. Tundra acts as a significant carbon sink when frozen but becomes a net carbon source as warming thaws permafrost. India's cold desert regions of Ladakh and Spiti Valley exhibit alpine tundra-like conditions.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

Warming on Ladakh's high-altitude tundra-like plateaux threatens the pastures on which Changpa nomads depend.

Synonyms

arctic plaintundra biomecold desert (informal)permafrost zonebarrens

Antonyms

tropical rainforesttaigasavannatemperate grasslandMediterranean scrub

🌱 Word Family

tundra (noun), tundra soil (compound noun), alpine tundra (compound noun), tundra biome (compound noun)

🔡 Root

Russian тундра (tundra) from Kildin Sami tūndâr = upland, treeless plain; or from Finnish tunturi = treeless high ground

📜 Etymology

Borrowed from Russian tundra (тундра), which in turn was borrowed from a Saami (or possibly Nenets) word, likely Kildin Sami tūndâr or Finnish tunturi, meaning elevated, treeless, barren land.

🧠 Memory Hook

TUNDRA = the land that is UNDER-A permanent frost. Cold, flat, treeless; think of it as the 'under-world' of biomes: underground frozen, surface barely alive. The Russian explorers crossing Siberia called it tundra, the land too cold for trees.

🌍 Geography 📖 Seen in: Plate Tectonics and Volcanism…

Relevant across:GS1 · History, Geography & Society

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