Cold Environments Flashcards
What’s a cold environments?
A place that experiences temperatures at or below 0 degrees for long periods of time
What are the 2 types of cold environments?
Polar
Tundra
Where a polar biomes found?
At the poles
North pole = artic
South pole= Antarctic
Where are tundra biomes found ?
Just below the ice caps of the artic
Alaska and half of Canada are in tundra biomes
Tops of very high mountains
What’s perma frost?
Permenantely or semi-permenantly frozen ground
What are the 3 layers of ground in cold biomes?
Active layer- thin layer of soil
Permafrost- a layer of soil that remains frozen all year round
Unfrozen ground - area of frozen ground
What’s interdependence?
The idea that several things are reliant on each over
Average temp in the tundra…
Between -6 and -12 degrees
Sometimes dropping to -20
3 types of plants that have adapted to live in the tundras …
Caribou Moss
Bearberry
Artic poppy
How have the plants adapted to live in the tundras
Bearberries have thick bark and are low growing to stabilise themselfves in the wind
Caribou moss can go a long time without water and can continue growing after being dormant for a long time
Artic poppies retain heat through their hairy stems, they also follow the sun to maximise sunlight received
4 different animals that live in tundras?
Snowshoe rabbit
Tundra wolf
Caribou
Musk ox
How have each of the animals adapted to live in the tundra?
snowshoe rabbit- changes colour depending on the season.
Musk ox -has warm fur as it’s long thick and hollow.
Tundra wolf -shorter legs, smaller ears and smaller muzzle to help reduce the amount of heat lost. Large feet help them walk across unsettled snow
Caribou- they can sniff lichen from deep under snow. Have hollow fur so the air inside insulated them.
Tundra case study…
Alaska
Where Alaska and what oceans surround it?
North western state of the usa
By Russia and Canada
North of Alaska- artic ocean
South of Alaska- Pacific Ocean
What’s it like in the north and south of Alaska differently
North : tundra
South: more mild
Where does Half the population of Alaska live?
Whole population (750,000)
Half the population lives in Anchorage
What are 4 opportunities in Alaska?
Mineral extraction
Fishing
Tourism
Energy
What are the two types of fishing?
Commercial
Subsistence
How many jobs does commercial fishing provide In Alaska ?
How much is commercial fishing worth to alaskas economy ?
80,000 jobs
8 billion USD
Who relies on subsistence fishing and what for?
Native American communities rely on fish for :
Food
Oil
Bones
What minerals does Alaska have?
What % of alaskas wealth is in gold?
Coal, gold, copper, zinc
20% of Alaskas wealth lies in gold
What minerals does Alaska have?
What % of alaskas wealth is in gold?
Coal, gold, copper, zinc
20% of Alaskas wealth lies in gold
How many tourists does Alaska attract per year?
What do tourists do in Alaska ?
Alaska attracts 2 million tourists annually
Tourists visit mountains, glaciers and go on cruises
Benefit of energy for Alaska?
Over half of Alaska’s energy comes from the oil and gas industry
Factors making development challenging for Alaska…
Extreme temperature-prudhoe bays mean anual temp (9 dg)
Inaccessibility - sometimes only air travel or dangerous roads is available for people
Buildings and infrastructure -most construction can only
Take place in Summer. Permafrost causes issues
How do we conserve Cold environments ?
The role of governments
Ecotourism
Conservation groups
Technology
How does the role of governments conserve cold environments ?
Government can pass laws to protect wilderness areas from development
How can using technology conserve cold environments ?
When buildings are heated they can melt permafrost.
modern construction and technology can reduce these impacts
How can international agreements conserve cold environments?
Example of a place protected by this
Example of an international agreement in Antarctica
-Formal understandings of commitments and the environment between countries
- Antarctica
-In 1959 the Antarctic Treaty was signed by countries who all claimed to own part of Antarctica.
How do conservation groups protect the environment?
Groups like WWF pressure governments to protect Cold environments
Example of conservation groups protecting the environment …
In2014 greenpeace went to the artic to protest about russias artic oil exploitation
Example of the role of government protecting the environment …
Since oil was found in Alaska in the 1960 s, the us government has been protecting the environment
Example of the international agreements protecting the environment ..
In 1959 the Antarctic treaty was signed by countries with territorial claims to Antarctica
What’s prudho bays average annual temperature ( this makes development challenging)
-9 degrees
