Cold - KQ3 (issues with development) Flashcards
1
Q
What are the key facts for Zermatt, Sweden?
A
- High alpine (1620m)
- 6000 people
- In winter provides accommodation for 60,000
- Above the village is the Matterhorn Glacier (4478m high)
- Zermatt is in a u-shaped trough and available flat land is occupied by chalets and homes
2
Q
What is the vegetation in Zermatt?
A
- Alpine tundra vegetation
- Characterised by lichens and mosses
- Low lying and dies back in winter
- Adapted to cope with poor or absent soils (eg grows from rock)
- In sheltered areas = mosses and ferns grow beneath larches
3
Q
What are the opportunities in Zermatt?
A
- Accommodation for 60,000 people
- 400km walking trails
- 360km of pistes
- Provides jobs
- Improves infrastructure in area
- General tourism provides income = multiplier effect
4
Q
What are the challenges in Zermatt?
A
- Pistes used as walking trails in summer = erosion and widening
- Once vegetation is removed = erosion is quicker and streams can erode slopes as soil is no longer held in place
- Slow decay rates as low temperatures
- Decomposition is slow = more litter
- Town growing too quickly = new regulations in 2009 = everything started building before then
- Developments are spreading uphill into margins of valley on both N and S side = area is at risk of avalanching
5
Q
What are the opportunities for skiing in Zermatt?
A
- Provides jobs (100 million tourists a year in some Alpine areas = 80% of jobs dependant)
- More infrastructure built for tourists = better area
- Restaurants and hotels at the top of lift stations = resort is more attractive
6
Q
What are the challenges for skiing in Zermatt?
A
- Visual pollution
- Glacier melt = Gorner Glacier lost 50m since 1970
- 100km^2 of forest cleared throughout alps = higher avalanche rate and wildlife disruption
- Glacier melt = more cannons being used = sustainable water
- Family of 4 spend 10x amount of energy skiing for a week than at home = energy is unsustainable?
- Less snow in mountain areas and more glacier melt = skiing industry provide artificial snow
7
Q
What are the three case studies?
A
Zermatt, Sweden
White Mountains, Alaska
North Slope, Alaska
8
Q
What are the oil opportunities in Alaska? (North Slope)
A
- USA largest oil field = pumped oil for over 30 years
- 80,000 barrels a day extracted from North Slope (16% of US production
- 93% of Alaska’s revenue
- 1/4 of the world’s untapped oil and gas reserves in Arctic
9
Q
What are the oil challenges in Alaska? (North Slope)
A
- Dangerous to extract and source
- Sub-zero temperatures for 8 months a year
- Damage to permafrost/melting permafrost due to heat from buildings/pipelines
- Wildlife = seismic exploration disrupts animals, oil spillages degrade habitats, gravel extraction from river bed = effects on aquatic life
10
Q
What is Area 1002?
A
- Alaska
- Close to Point Thomas
- Protected wilderness area
- In 2005 Bush favoured oil extraction here but Obama is against it
11
Q
What are the opportunities in Area 1002?
A
- Possible drilling zone to gain oil
- Provides security for oil supplies
- Can reduce imports of oil and gas = boosting country’s balance of payments and job opportunities
- Would maximise use of oil and gas infrastructure
12
Q
What are the challenges in Area 1002?
A
- Drilling would take away 100,000s of Porcupine Caribou’s main calving ground, grazing area and where they escape from predators
- Conservationists oppose drilling = tundra ecosystem is more valuable
- Moral obligation to save wild places
13
Q
What are the tourism and recreation opportunities in the White Mountains?
A
- Whale and bear tourism attraction along with Alaskan coast on Alutian Islands
- Gold mining in Nome Creek; Sport fishing in White Mountains; Canoeing on Beaver Creek National Wild River, can see black bear, moose
- Provides income for development
14
Q
What are the tourism and recreation challenges in the White Mountains?
A
- Fish stocks decline = farmer’s incomes are reduced
- Industry is reliant on natural resources
