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Ellsworth Land tundra
Biome
Tundra
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Biogeographic realm
Antarctica
Snow-plastered nunataks breaking through the ice sheet on Thurston Island, West Antarctica.
Region photo - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt, MD, USA / Wikimedia Commons - Public domain.

Ellsworth Land tundra

Ellsworth Land tundra
The Ellsworth Land tundra is a tundra ecoregion in the Antarctica biogeographic realm, covering roughly 84 square miles (RESOLVE 2017 ecoregion 121). 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. No climate coverage falls inside this ecoregion's boundary, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
RESOLVE 121
Antarctica
84 sq mi
Tundra
Landscape type
Tundra
Plant region
Antarctica
Region footprint
84 sq mi
Habitat pressure
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)

Source & care

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Use this as the broad planting pattern for the region: 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. For garden decisions, narrow by your site's light, water, soil, and mature-size constraints.

Plants that can handle this region

Plotwright does not have climate-fit plant matches for this region yet. As the catalog grows into this climate band, suggestions will appear here.

Similar planting regions

Browse other regions in the same biome. Their plant lists can suggest species and combinations worth comparing.
Glacier ice cliff above pancake ice with a seated man on the rocky shore, Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica.
RESOLVE 117 - Antarctica
Adelie Land tundra
The Adelie Land tundra is a tundra ecoregion in the Antarctica biogeographic realm, covering roughly 68 square miles (RESOLVE 2017 ecoregion 117). 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. No climate coverage falls inside this ecoregion's boundary, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
Tundra
68 sq mi
NNH tier 1
Panoramic view of Laubeuf Fjord on the Antarctic Peninsula seen from the Wormald Ice Piedmont on Adelaide Island, with ice cliffs, snow-covered mountains, and offshore islands.
RESOLVE 118 - Antarctica
Central South Antarctic Peninsula tundra
The Central South Antarctic Peninsula tundra is a tundra ecoregion in the Antarctica biogeographic realm, covering roughly 1,901 square miles (RESOLVE 2017 ecoregion 118). 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. No climate coverage falls inside this ecoregion's boundary, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
Tundra
1,901 sq mi
NNH tier 1
View northwest over the Schussel Cirque, a glaciated valley among the dark rock nunataks of the Wohlthat Mountains in central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica.
RESOLVE 119 - Antarctica
Dronning Maud Land tundra
The Dronning Maud Land tundra is a tundra ecoregion in the Antarctica biogeographic realm, covering roughly 2,107 square miles (RESOLVE 2017 ecoregion 119). 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. No climate coverage falls inside this ecoregion's boundary, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
Tundra
2,107 sq mi
NNH tier 1
A stilted station building on bare rock above sea ice and an ice cliff at Progress Station, East Antarctica.
RESOLVE 120 - Antarctica
East Antarctic tundra
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. No climate coverage falls inside this ecoregion's boundary, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
Tundra
416 sq mi
NNH tier 1
Crevassed snowfield below the serrated peaks of the Sentinel Range, Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica.
RESOLVE 122 - Antarctica
Ellsworth Mountains tundra
The Ellsworth Mountains tundra is a tundra ecoregion in the Antarctica biogeographic realm, covering roughly 1,135 square miles (RESOLVE 2017 ecoregion 122). 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. No climate coverage falls inside this ecoregion's boundary, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
Tundra
1,135 sq mi
NNH tier 1
Satellite view of Enderby Land and William Scoresby Bay in the Enderby Land tundra region.
RESOLVE 123 - Antarctica
Enderby Land tundra
The Enderby Land tundra is a tundra ecoregion in the Antarctica biogeographic realm, covering roughly 825 square miles (RESOLVE 2017 ecoregion 123). 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. No climate coverage falls inside this ecoregion's boundary, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
Tundra
825 sq mi
NNH tier 1

Where this ecoregion reaches

The countries, US states, and Canadian provinces this ecoregion touches, from a spatial join of its RESOLVE polygon against Natural Earth boundaries.
Countries
Antarctica

Educator packet

Region packet
Ellsworth Land tundra educator packet
The Ellsworth Land tundra is a tundra ecoregion in the Antarctica biogeographic realm, covering roughly 84 square miles (RESOLVE 2017 ecoregion 121). 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. No climate coverage falls inside this ecoregion's boundary, so no hardiness snapshot is shown here.
Realm
Antarctica
Dominant biome
Tundra
Approximate area
84 square miles
States / provinces
Not recorded
Climate descriptor
Not recorded
Classroom prompts
- Which climate and biome facts explain why this region supports its characteristic plants?
- How do native-plant and wildlife-support claims differ from a species-presence claim?
- Which source-backed facts would you cite before using this region in a classroom map activity?
Use the Sources & citations section below for page citation styles and region source links.

Sources & citations

Cite this page
For lesson plans, articles, or regional planting notes that use this Plotwright page. To cite the underlying ecoregion framework or a specific editorial profile, use the source cards below.
Plotwright. (n.d.). Ellsworth Land tundra (Ellsworth Land tundra). Retrieved 2026, August 20, from https://plotwright.com/regions/resolve-121
Sources for this region
This page cites Plotwright first for the compiled view, then lists the upstream framework, climate, and editorial source pages so readers can cite the original material directly.
RESOLVE 2017 Terrestrial Ecoregions (Dinerstein et al.)
Primary ecoregion framework
Open source
Source guide