One of the main factors that limits life on the tundra is the cold average temperature.
The D1 weather station at Niwot Ridge, Colorado is located on an alpine ridge at 12,264 feet (3,739 meters). The average year-round temperature there is only 25°F (-3.9°C)! That's as cold as the average year-round temperature at Nome, Alaska (near the Arctic Ocean.)
Temperatures get warm enough for plants to grow for only three months or less each year.
Look for ways that plants and animals have adapted to the cold temperatures above treeline on the alpine tundra.
