Cold Environments : Tundra&Polar

Question 1

Physical characteristics of the tundra and polar environments

Answer 1

Cold (Polar-<0degreesC , Tundra <10 degrees)
Low rainfall
Layer of permafrost,no or thin soil, not every fertile, few plants which grow slowly and are short. Few species of animals.
Polar environments almost uninhabitable, tundra have a range of indigenous people

Question 2

How do plants adapt to the climate?

Answer 2

• Become dormant(stop growing) in cold winters
• low growing and cushion like to protect and insulate
• hairy stems to keep warm
• thin and waxy leaves to reduce water loss
• shallow roots
• short growing season

Question 3

How do animals adapt to cold climates?

Answer 3

• well insulated with thick fur or blubber
• hibernate to conserve energy in winter or migrate
• arctic terns
• white fur for camouflage
• adapted to survive on limited food

Question 4

Biodiversity in cold climates

Answer 4

Biodiversity is low in cold environments. There are fewer species so small changes have a big impact on others. They are fragile ecosystems

Question 5

Case study
Alaska USA
Development opportunities

Answer 5

Fishing 78,500jobs ,US$6 billions to economy
•mineral extraction
•tourism 1-2 million visitors per year
•energy hydroelectric power and geothermal but mainly oil 90% of taxes come from oil, 400 people are employed in the industry

Question 6

Case study : challenges

Answer 6

• extreme temperatures, dangerous difficult to work outside, special clothing needed, challenges of construction
• inaccessibility sparsely populated and poor road network,difficult terrain makes it hard to travel around
• building and infrastructure provision is difficult and expensive.
• some buildings collapsing due to melting permafrost

Question 7

Why should cold environments be protected??

Answer 7

Wilderness areas which provide us with scientific knowledge.vital for biodiversity. Indigenous people who rely on the ecosystem for survival

Question 8

Managing cold environments

Answer 8

• The use of technology to improve construction of buildings and communication, role of the government
• The USA 🇺🇸 protection of the artic entrenched in law, international agreement
• Antarctic treaty which protects areas, conservation groups like WWF and green space encourage protection of areas