Cold environments

Question 1

What are the characteristics of Polar areas

Answer 1

Cold and normally below freezing (-40/-90)

Permafrost covered by ice

Few mosses and lichens

Polar bears well adapted with thick fur and foot pads

Question 2

What are the characteristics of Tundra areas

Answer 2

Cold (10/-20)

Warm, brief summers

Surface permafrost melts causing waterlogging in summer

Low growing flowering plants with adaptations

Several species of animals (eg. Arctic fox and hare)

Question 3

How has the bearberry plant adapted to the tundra environment

Answer 3

Low-growing to protect from wind

Small leathery leaves retain moisture

Hairy stems insulate the plant

Bright red berries attract birds who can help to spread seeds

Question 4

How are the arctic hares adapted to tundra

Answer 4

White fur to help them sneak up in on prey

Their fur may also darken with the seasons

Question 5

Where is Svalbard

Answer 5

In Norway

Close to the mid-Atlantic ridge

It has a population of 2700

Question 6

What are the opportunities for development in Svalbard

Answer 6

Mineral extraction - rich reserves of coal

Energy developments - Longyearbyen coal fired power station supplies Svalbard

Geothermal energy is likely a future source of energy

Fishing - over 150 species of fish are in the Barents sea

Tourism - cruise passengers come to see the Northern lights and animals such as polar bears
30,000 tourists a year

Question 7

What are challenges to development in Svalbard

Answer 7

Extreme temperatures - temperatures can fall below -30
Outdoor work can be slow and dangerous

Construction - Permafrost could melt, collapsing buildings.
Most of the construction has to happen in the brief summer

Services - most pipes have to be heated and raised above the ground

Accessibility - Can only be reached by sea or air
No roads outside Longyearbyen

Question 8

Why do cold environments need protecting

Answer 8

Important unspoilt outdoor labs for scientific research

Tourism

Fishing

Home to a variety of wildlife

Indigenous people rely on the land

Question 9

How can risks to cold environments be reduced

Answer 9

Using technology - trans-alaskan pipeline crosses 800 rivers moves oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez

Action by governments - 1964 wilderness act (protects much of Alaska from development) and the 1959 Antarctic treaty preventing more than 100 people per site

Conservation groups - eg WWF and Greenpeace