Sondrestrom
Air Base 1959
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Photo by William
M. Nichols, 61st TCS Pilot |
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Sondrestrom AB, Greenland. A view showing the progression of plant life
on the tundra. There is bedrock,
on the lower left, which changes to lichens and mosses. The highest form of plant life here
are the low sedges which never grow more than a few feet off the ground. In the most advanced stage the tundra
may form a foot or two of subsoil above the bedrock. Lichen grow on the rock, decompose
the rock into soil through chemical action; then they eventually decay to
form nutrients for the mosses, which are higher in the plant kingdom. Some colorful short-lived flowering
plants add color to the tundra in midsummer. Caption by Bill Nichols. (Circa 1959) |