Davis Highlands tundra


The Davis Highlands tundra ecoregion 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. 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. The mean elevation is and the maximum is at Mount Odin.
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.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is Ice cap climate, a local climate in which no month has an average temperature above. These regions are generally above 65% in latitude, are characterized by expanses of ice and bare ground, and little animal life. The mean annual temperature is. Mean annual precipitation is 400–600 mm/year.

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. A few cold-tolerant vascular plants are found, such as sedge and cotton grass.
Bird life is an important ecological feature of the ecoregion. One of the world's larges nesting colonies of snow goose is found on Bylot Island. Large colonies of thick-billed murres and the vulnerable black-legged kittiwakes inhabit the area. Other bird of the ecoregion include king eider, rock ptarmigan, northern fulmar, plover, hoary redpoll and snow bunting.
Land mammals in the ecoregion include arctic hare, arctic fox, caribou, and Polar bears.

Protected areas

Over 31% of the ecoregion is officially protected. These protected areas include: