Arctic Desert, Olrik Fjord, Northern Greenland
Scarcely vegetated slopes at the Olrik fjord are the breeding habitat of red knots. Some parts of Northern Greenland are not covered by the huge inland ice cap. They contain the most northerly ice-free region of the world. Precipitation levels are so low (only about 25 to 200 mm per year, all as snow) that it is called a polar desert. It was not covered by glaciers during the most recent ice age. The Arctic desert is home to a number of highly adapted species, which can cope with the extreme conditions or, as some long-distant migratory bird species come there only for a short summer season.
Year: 2013
From album: Greenland Arctic Desert and Northernmost Land in the World
Photographer: Peter Prokosch