Alaska

Question 1

Alaska’s size?

Answer 1

2 million km2

Question 2

What country does Alaska border to the East?

Answer 2

Canada

Question 3

What Ocean does Alaska border to the North?

Answer 3

The Arctic ocean

Question 4

What ocean does Alaska border to the South?

Answer 4

The Pacific Ocean

Question 5

What is to the West of Alaska?

Answer 5

Bering strait

Question 6

What does the Bering strait separate at its narrowest and by what distance?

Answer 6

USA from Russia by 82km

Question 7

What is the largest US state?

Answer 7

Alaska

Question 8

What is Alaska ranking among the states for lowest populous?

Answer 8

3rd

Question 9

Is it highly or sparsely populated?

Answer 9

sparsely populated

Question 10

What is Alaska’s population?

Answer 10

710,000

Question 11

What is Alaska’s major city?

Answer 11

the City of Anchorage

Question 12

What is Alaska’s household median income?

Answer 12

$73,000

Question 13

For what does Alaska rank 7th highest among the American states?

Answer 13

for household median income

Question 14

What other valuable minerals are found in Alaska?

Answer 14

silver, zinc and lead

Question 15

What is a significant contributor to rural employment and economic prosperity?

Answer 15

employment in the mining industry

Question 16

What is the value of the mining industry anually?

Answer 16

over $1bn annually and growing rapidly

Question 17

What is driving growth in the mining sector and how?

Answer 17

technological advances help overcome physical environmental challenges

Question 18

What is mining damaging to?

Answer 18

the environment

Question 19

What toxic material can be used in mining?

Answer 19

arsenic

Question 20

What can arsenic do and what does it impact?

Answer 20

pollute local water sources and impact fishing and indigenous people’s health

Question 21

What does development come hand in hand with?

Answer 21

the building of infrastructure

Question 21

What does open cast mining do?

Answer 21

leave huge scars on the natural environment

Question 21

What does open cast mining clear?

Answer 21

swathes of forest

Question 21

How must the roofs be designed?

Answer 21

steep to allow snow to slide off

Question 21

Example of initiative to limit development of mining?

Answer 21

'No Dirty Gold' which shut down Pebble Gold mine in 2013

Question 22

What happens when the top layer of permafrost thaws in the summer?

Answer 22

it destabilises foundations causing buildings to tilt and be damaged

Question 23

What also causes buildings to tilt?

Answer 23

the 'urban heat island effect' as the heat from the buildings causes the permafrost to melt

Question 24

How can the tilting of buildings be managed?

Answer 24

constructing buildings on raised columns that can lift the structures above the ground allowing them to expand and contract with the changing conditions

Question 25

How are domestic services such as freshwater and sanitation designed and why?

Answer 25

provided above ground to minimise the risk of freezing pipes cracking in case of water and thawing permafrost in case of heating

Question 26

What do the cold nutrient rich water provide?

Answer 26

excellent supply of fish stocks

Question 27

How much did the fishing industry bring in in 2017?

Answer 27

$12.8bn

Question 28

What is the challenge of fishing?

Answer 28

Commercial fishermen must endure: -isolated fishing grounds -high winds, seasonal darkness -very cold waters -long days at sea

Question 29

What attracts tourists to Alaska?

Answer 29

unique wilderness

Question 30

What environmental features does Alaska have?

Answer 30

mountains, glaciers, rivers and wildlife

Question 31

Example of a ski resort

Answer 31

Girdwood

Question 32

What is the amount of direct visitor spending?

Answer 32

$1.8 bn annually

Question 33

How do many people arrive to Alaska and what is the impact?

Answer 33

By air which creates a larger carbon footprint

Question 34

What does creating ski resorts often involve?

Answer 34

deforestation, pollution and waste generation

Question 35

What does proving all the facilities for tourism create?

Answer 35

the same issues with building infrastructure found in mineral extraction

Question 36

What percentage of taxes are created by the oil industry?

Answer 36

90%

Question 37

How many barrels does Prudhoe bay contain?

Answer 37

25 million

Question 38

What does its steep terrain and plentiful river make viable ?

Answer 38

Hydro electric power

Question 39

What percentage of energy is provided by 50 HEP plants?

Answer 39

20 %

Question 40

What type of region is Alaska?

Answer 40

tectonically active

Question 41

What type of plant is producing enough energy for 400 homes?

Answer 41

geothermal power plant

Question 42

What implications on climate change does the melting of permafrost have?

Answer 42

methane in released which is a green house gas that is 25x more powerful than CO2

Question 43

What is the challenge of repairing damaged foundations?

Answer 43

the extreme climate makes it difficult

Question 44

How low do temperatures get from Oct-Jan?

Answer 44

-30 degrees Celsisus

Question 45

What happened in 1989?

Answer 45

the Exxon-Valdez tanker ran into rocks

Question 46

What are oil fields in Alaska already in?

Answer 46

decline

Question 47

Where is oil exploration looking into?

Answer 47

protected areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve

Question 48

What is the US looking to improve?

Answer 48

energy security

Question 49

What might large oil companies start to put pressure on?

Answer 49

further exploitation in protected areas