Cold Environments

Question 1

Characteristics of Cold Environments

Answer 1

• include tundra and polar enviroments
• found mostly in northern hemispheres
• clear defined seasons
• low precipitation
• polar regions have little to no soil buttundra have very thin acidic soil covered by a layer of permafrost trapping methan (a greenhouse gas) underneath
• no trees due to permafrost in tundra but small plants called lichens on rocks in polar
• animal diversity is low - in tundra you can find polar bears, wolves, reindeers in polar is pnguing snow owls and poar bears
• largely inhibitted in tundra also oil and gas workers in larger towns and cities
• only indigenous people or scientists for research

Question 2

Interdependence in Cold Environments

Answer 2

• Antarctica has very few plants, making phytoplankton (relying on nutrients in the sea) the most important producers and the basis of the food chain
• Herbivores, like reindeer, rely on plants like mosses to survive, but they also provide nutrients to the soil through their dung, from eating the plant
• Carnivores, like wolves, will follow the herbivores as they search for vegetation
  *Permafrost is ground that has been frozen for at least two years in a row *
• The tundra in summer, has greater plant cover, allowing surface plants to absorb heat from the sun and preventing the permafrost below from thawing
• any damage in the permafrost releases trapped greenhouse gases (methane), leading to increased global warming, and changes to the climate in cold environment

Question 3

Plant Adaptations

Answer 3

• Most plants become** dormant** to survive the cold, dark winters
• Plants are **small and round-shaped **to provide protection from the wind.
• Most plants have shallow roots because the permafrost prevents any further growth.

Question 4

Animal Adaptations

Answer 4

• Some animals **hibernate **to conserve energy and survive the winter, such as arctic squirrel which hibernates for 7-8 months
• Animals are well-insulated, e.g. thick fur like polar bears
• Many birds migrate to warmer areas during winter
• Many animals have white coats in winter for camouflage; this helps predators sneak up on prey and allows prey to hide in the snow.

Question 5

Biodiversity Issues

Answer 5

• Cold environments have very low biodiversity (particularly Antarctica)
• Global warming is causing some species to move towards the poles, where it is cooler, to cope with temperature rises elsewhere
  Those species that have already adapted, such as the polar bear, have nowhere else to go and are at risk of extinction.
• Adaptation takes time, but changes to an ecosystem can be fast

Question 6

Oppurtunities of Cold environments

Answer 6

**Mineral extraction: **
* There are valuable reserves of gold, silver, iron ore and copper
* Many countries are increasing their mining activities beneath the tundra
Energy
* Gas and oil are abundant
* The US government is extracting oil from the oilfields near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Fishing
* The cold coastal waters have good fish stocks
* These waters attract commercial fishing
* The deep, cold water is ideal for unusual fish, which command a high price in markets around the globe
* Overfishing had led to fish stocks being depleted
Tourism
* Places such as Antarctica have seen an increase in the number of tourists
* Approximately 170,000 tourists visited Antarctica in 2020

Question 7

Challenges of Cold Environments

Answer 7

Extreme temperature
* Very low temperatures and long hours of darkness make building anything difficult
Infrastructure
* Building roads, railways and pipelines for water and electricity supplies is very difficult on frozen ground that is liable to melt
* Pipelines need to withstand freezing as they cannot be buried underground due to the permafrost
Buildings
* If the permafrost layer begins to melt, the ground will become unstable with possible landslides
* Creating solid foundations for buildings is difficult on frozen and unstable ground,

Question 8

Case Study- Alaska
1. development opportunities
2. challenges to develop

Answer 8

Development opportunities
* **Mineral resources: **Gold, silver, iron ore and copper ore are mined, particularly in the Tintina gold belt region
* Approximately 30% of Alaska’s wealth comes from the gold industry alone and accounted for over $900 million
* Fishing: Salmon, crab and pollock are fished in the waters around Alaska
* It employs 100,000 people and contributes over $6 billion to Alaska’s economy
* Tourism: Tourists are attracted to Alaska’s wilderness scenery
* Over 2 million tourists visit Alaska each year creating 290$ from direct spending
Challenges to develop
* Extreme temperatures
* Annual temperature is around -9°C with snow and strong winds
* Exposure to them can kill and healthcare is usually at a distance
* extremes in the amount of daylight
* Accessibility
* Alaska is over 21 hours by road from the US
* Many areas are extremely remote, and the mountainous terrain makes access difficult and expensive
* In winter, access to some towns is either by air or on dangerous ice roads
* Buildings and infrastructure
* Buildings and infrastructure need to cope with the frozen ground and weather conditions
* This makes it difficult and expensive to build in Alaska
* most building work has to taek place in summer as there are longer days
* Parts of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline are raised on stilts; this prevents the permafrost from melting and making the ground unstable

Question 10

Value of Cold Environments

Answer 10

• Cold environments are fragile and take a long time to recover if damaged
• Wilderness areas are wild, natural environments that are mostly unchanged by people
• Climate change is one of the main threats to extreme environments