Cold environments

Question 1

What two cold environments do we study?

Answer 1

• Tundra
• Polar

Question 2

What two animals have we learnt about in polar environments?

Answer 2

• polar bear
• penguin

Question 3

What are the two animals we studied in tundra environments?

Answer 3

• artic fox
• artic hare

Question 4

What are the adaptions of a polar bear?

Answer 4

• thick fur that camouflages in the snow and oily to repeal water
• insulating layer of fat
  black nose and foot pads to absorb sunlight
• rough paw pads
• webbed feet

Question 5

What are the adaptions of a penguin?

Answer 5

• incubating egg
• webbed feet with claws
• good swimmers & divers
• layer of blubber
• overlapping feathers coated with oil

Question 6

What are the adaptions of a artic fox?

Answer 6

• dense thick fur camouflage
• short nose and small ears = reduced heat loss
• short legs
• large bushy tail
• rest in burrows

Question 7

What are the adaptions of a artic hare?

Answer 7

• thick coat
• digs holes
• eat lichens, mosses and wood plants
• Spring- change colour to blue/grey to blend in with rock and vegetation

Question 8

What three plants have we studied?

Answer 8

• bear berry
• artic poppy
• lichen (polar)

Question 9

What are the adaptations of a bear berry?

Answer 9

• low growing 5-15cm
• thick bark
• small leathery leaves retain water
• hairy stems retain heat
• bright red berries eaten by birds

Question 10

What are the adaptations of the artic poppy?

Answer 10

• hairy stems retain heat
• flower tracks the sun
• small leaves reduce water loss and conserve energy
• 10-15cm stems
• seed pods distributed in the wind

Question 11

What are the adaptations of lichen?

Answer 11

• grows on rocks
• absorbs water from the atmosphere
• survives beneath snow
• can photosynthesise at -20 degrees

Question 12

Where is Alaska?

Answer 12

• North America
• borders Canada
• Artic Ocean to the North
• Northern hemisphere
• Artic circle

Question 13

What is Alaska’s climate?

Answer 13

• Prudhoe bay annual temp=-9
• drop below -35

Question 14

What is permafrost in Alaska?

Answer 14

• ground in permanently frozen
• top layer thaws in summer

Question 15

What is the soil like in Alaska?

Answer 15

• in winter it is frozen
• in summer it thaws becoming boggy and waterlogged
• 85% land is permafrost

Question 16

What are lives like for people in Alaska?

Answer 16

• permafrost & short growing seasons = crops can’t be grown
• most live along the coast to fish and hunt seals
• use manmade materials like goretex
• surfaced roads aren’t always constructed across the state

Question 17

What opportunities are there in Alaska?

Answer 17

• energy
• mineral extraction
• fishing
• tourism

Question 18

Energy in Alaska.

Answer 18

• vast reserves of oil and gas
• oils transported by the trans Alaskan pipeline
• 100,000 jobs

Question 19

Fishing in Alaska?

Answer 19

• 80,000 jobs
• 3,000 rivers
• 3 million lakes
• 10,600 km of coastline rich in fish
• salmon, trout
• worth $6 billion to the economy

Question 20

Mineral extraction in Alaska?

Answer 20

• gold, silver, iron, zinc, lead and copper
• 20% of wealth
• gold rush in 1800

Question 21

Tourism in Alaska.

Answer 21

• mountains, glaciers and waterfalls
• 2 million tourists visit every year
• 60% tourists arrive on cruises

Question 22

What are three main challenges in Alaska?

Answer 22

• extreme temperatures
• inaccessibility
• buildings and infrastructure

Question 23

Extreme temperatures in Alaska

Answer 23

• -35
• limited sunlight in winter
• sea freezes and roads become dangerous

Question 24

Inaccessibility in Alaska

Answer 24

• remote people rely on planes and ships
• snow mobiles
• 4x4

Question 25

Buildings and infrastructure in Alaska

Answer 25

• services and roads are made above ground
• runways painted white to reflect energy
• roads are made of gravel
• building are on stilts & well insulated