Where
is Taiga found?
Taiga (or Boreal Forests) represent the largest terrestrial biome.
Occurring between 50 and 60 degrees north latitudes, boreal forests
can be found in the broad belt of Eurasia and North America: two-thirds
in Siberia, while the rest--in Scandinavia, Alaska, and Canada.
Taiga is found in the Northern parts of North America, Europe
and Asia.
What
is Taiga?
Taiga
is a belt of coniferous forest found in the northern hemisphere,
close to Arctic Tundra. Coniferous trees are needle-leaved trees
that are usually evergreen and shallow rooted and usually bear
cones.
How
did the Taiga get like this?
Coniferous
trees are tolerant to a wide range of soils and climates. It is
therefore suited to the thin, nutrient poor and acidic soils common
in the extreme northern latitudes. The branches of these conical
shaped coniferous trees are flexible and let snow slide off. Also,
the needle-like leaves reduce water loss.
What
is the impact of humans on the Taiga?
Human
action is having a significant impact on the Taiga.
Deforestation
- Current extensive logging in boreal forests may soon cause their
disappearance.
Acid
rain
Acid
rain is also causing significant problems for the Taiga forests.
Acid rain is rain that is more acidic than normal. Scientists
have discovered that air pollution from the burning of fossil
fuels is the major cause of acid rain. Power plants and factories
burn coal and oil. The smoke and fumes from burning fossil fuels
rise into the atmosphere and combine with the moisture in the
air to form acid rain. The main chemicals in air pollution that
create acid rain are sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
Acid rain does not usually kill trees directly. Instead, it is
more likely to weaken the trees by damaging their leaves, limiting
the nutrients available to them, or poisoning them with toxic
substances slowly released from the soil. Once trees are weak,
they can be more easily attacked by diseases or insects that ultimately
kill them. Weakened trees may also become injured more easily
by cold weather.
Global
Warming - Biologists and scientists think temperature changes
over the next century may occur at rates 15 to 50 times faster
than historical averages. Organisms will have trouble responding
to these changes and will face even greater odds of surviving.
Extreme changes in temperature and precipitation could cause climatic
zones to shift several hundred kilometres toward the poles over
the next 50 years. Climatologists are also predicting that the
area covered by boreal forests (the taiga) will be reduced by
50-90%.
What
is the future for the Taiga? - Sustainable Development
If development
of the Taiga is to be sustainable (e.g. although the resources are
used to aid development, it/they will still exist for future generations
to use) a number of measures must be taken. These include:
Afforestation
- Deforestation should be managed more carefully. Trees should
be replanted in areas of deforestation.
Acid
Rain - Scrubbers should be used to reduce pollution from factories
releasing pollution into the atmosphere.
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