The Davis Highlands tundraecoregion (WWF ID: NA1109) covers the Baffin Mountains on the northeast coast of Baffin Island and Bylot Island, facing Baffin Bay in Nunavut, northern Canada. The terrain is extremely rugged, heavily glaciated, with many deep fjords, and very cold.[1][2][3][4] About half of the territory is moss and lichen tundra, the other half bare rock and ice. The region is wetter than the much drier regions to the southwest of the Baffin Islands.
Location and description
The Baffin Islands are the southeastern half of the Arctic Cordillera, a chain of island mountains that run along the northeast of the Canada's Arctic Archipelago. They are separated from Greenland by Baffin Bay. The Baffin Island section is 900 km long; the Bylot Island mountains to the north of Baffin Island add another 100 km. The ecoregion averages only 100 km wide.[2] The mean elevation is 727 metres (2,385 ft) and the maximum is 2,147 metres (7,044 ft) at Mount Odin.[3]
Much of the ground bare is bedrock and glaciers; open soil is continuous permafrost. Along the seacoast, deep fjords reach into the glaciated mountains. The ecoregion to the south along the length is the High Arctic tundra, which is much drier (averaging only 100 mm/year of precipitation compared to the 400–600 mm/year in the Davis Highlands).[4]
Climate
The climate of the ecoregion is Ice cap climate (Köppen climate classification EF), a local climate in which no month has an average temperature above (0 °C (32 °F)). These regions are generally above 65% in latitude (north or south), are characterized by expanses of ice and bare ground, and little animal life.[5][6] The mean annual temperature is −11.5 °C (11.3 °F). Mean annual precipitation is 400–600 mm/year.[4]
Flora and fauna
Half of the ecoregion is bare ice or permanent water, and not supportive of life. The other half is sparsely covered with moss and lichen.[3] A few cold-tolerant vascular plants are found, such as sedge (Carex) and cotton grass (Eriophorum).[4]
