The East Antarctic tundra is a tundra ecoregion in the Antarctica biogeographic realm, covering roughly 416 square miles (RESOLVE 2017 ecoregion 120). Under the Dinerstein "Nature Needs Half" framework it is classed Half Protected (tier 1 of 4) — at least half of its natural habitat already lies within protected areas. CHELSA climate coverage isn't available at this ecoregion's centroid, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 68.6°S, 78.3°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
Climate snapshot not available at this resolution — this ecoregion sits outside our detailed climate coverage (typically Antarctic interior or far-ocean island chains).
At a glance
Dominant biome
Tundra
Realm
Antarctica
Approximate area
416 sq mi
Conservation tier
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)
About the tundra biome
Treeless polar and high-mountain landscapes of low shrubs, sedges, mosses, and lichens, where cold and a short growing season cap plant height. Soils are frequently frozen as permafrost, and these systems recover only slowly from disturbance.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.
Collections for this ecoregion
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.