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Why can windswept tundra areas experience drought during summer?

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Rolling tundra in Alaska with red, yellow, and green fall foliage, set against rugged mountains with patches of grass and exposed rock. — Tundra Alaskan mountain and tundra vegetation in the fall.

In windswept tundra areas, summer drought occurs primarily due to the redistribution of snow by strong winds during the winter months.1

In these treeless landscapes, wind removes snow from exposed areas—such as ridge tops and convexities—and deposits it into drifts in concavities or leeward of obstacles. Because winter snow accumulation serves as a vital source of moisture for plant growth during the summer, areas that are frequently windswept and lack significant snow cover are deprived of this essential water supply. Consequently, these exposed locations often experience summer drought, which limits plant growth, whereas areas with deeper snow cover remain well-watered throughout the season.1

While alpine tundra is generally drier than Arctic tundra due to the lack of a continuous permafrost layer and the presence of steep topography that facilitates rapid drainage, the specific phenomenon of summer drought in windswept regions is largely driven by this uneven distribution of snow.21