Beringia upland tundra
The Beringia upland tundra is a mountainous tundra ecoregion of North America, on the west coast of Alaska. Location This ecoregion consists of three separate but similar areas of the Bering Sea coast of Alaska: the hills and mountains of the Seward Peninsula; the Ahklun Mountains in the southwest; and the hilly western half of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. All these are hilly areas climbing sometimes to steep barren mountain up to 1500m, and which still have a number of cirque glaciers. The climate varies of course from the coast to the icy peaks. Flora The slopes are covered with a variety of lichens and other tundra plants, depending on altitude and drainage. The low-lying, wetter areas are similar to the surrounding Beringia lowland tundra ecoregion but the uplands are generally drier and dominated by sedges such as Eriophorum vaginatum and scrub such as the ericas Arctostaphylos alpina, Vaccinium vitis-idaea or Empetrum nigrum or mountain-avens (Dryas octopetala) and dwarf arctic birch (Betula nana). Sheltered valleys will have some spruce or poplar trees Picea glauca and Populus balsamifera. The Seward Peninsula is vulnerable to fire when the lichens dry out in summer Fauna Birds of this coast include