BharatNotes Tundra
noun (uncountable, also used attributively)Usage in a UPSC answer
Ladakh's high-altitude tundra-like plateaux, situated above 4,500 m, are experiencing measurable warming at twice the global average rate, threatening the traditional phu (pastoral summer grazing) practices of Changpa nomads who depend on the fragile pasture ecosystem.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
tundra (noun), tundra soil (compound noun), alpine tundra (compound noun), tundra biome (compound noun)
Root
Russian тундра (tundra) from Kildin Sami tūndâr = upland, treeless plain; or from Finnish tunturi = treeless high ground
Etymology
Borrowed from Russian tundra (тундра), which in turn was borrowed from a Saami (or possibly Nenets) word — likely Kildin Sami tūndâr or Finnish tunturi — meaning elevated, treeless, barren land. The word entered European geographical and scientific literature in the 17th–18th centuries through Russian exploration and cartography of Arctic Siberia. Its use in ecology and biogeography was standardised in the 19th–20th centuries.
Memory Hook
TUNDRA = the land that is UNDER-A permanent frost. Cold, flat, treeless — think of it as the 'under-world' of biomes: underground frozen, surface barely alive. The Russian explorers crossing Siberia called it tundra — the land too cold for trees.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
