Cold KQ3 & KQ4 Flashcards
Define Sustainability?
Meeting the needs of today which ensuring there are supplies for the future
How have parts of the tundra been damaged by the oil and gas industry?
Environments damaged for the building
Oil spills have killed off species and peoples livelihoods
Why are the pipelines a problem in Alaska?
Built on permafrost so very unstable
High possibility of seismic activity
Extreme weather conditions could damage the pipeline
Crosses many rivers
What have TAPS done to minimise impact?
Zig-zag design to allow expansion and contraction
Elevated off the permafrost
Fully insulated
On bridges or buried beneath
What are the Opportunities/Challenges and Conflicts in Alaska?
Opportunities - Oil extraction increasing / more money
Challenges - Management / safe extraction in north slope / TAPS / environmental damage
Conflicts - indigenous population the damage caused to whales - their food and festival
Explain the 1989 Oil Spill?
March 1989 - 11 million tonnes of oil were spilt near Alaska
What were the impacts of the 1989 spill?
Contaminated the sea - main income fish were destroyed - no salmon
20000 barrels are estimated to still be there even after the $2billion clear up
Eyak tribe and others claim they became ill from the spill
Population dropped from 5000 to 1500
In Anchorage everyone received $600-1500 in a oil dividend from the extraction
How is climate change effecting the arctic?
It is raising temps by 0.74 degrees
Warmer soils
Loss of sea ice - meaning loos of habitat
How is oil and natural gas effecting the arctic?
The north slop has been effected largely because of the extraction for the past 30 years
Opportunities for more drilling but concerns over the environmental impact of doing so
Transforming the indigenous people’s environment
What are the key issues in the Arctic ecosystems?
Global warming & fossil fuels putting the area under threat
Putting stress on flora & fauna
Indigenous peoples lives are being put under threat
Big companies planning to exploit the vast resources available
What are the Economic issue in Alaska?
$13 million offers to win rights to develop areas of Alaska for oil production
Tourism is increasing with people wanting to bears and whales
What are the Environmental issues in Alaska?
The oil spill of 1989 still has impacts due to lack of wildlife and supplies in the area
How are they keeping the White mountains sustainable?
White Mountains National Recreation Area managed by BLM covers 0.4 million ha their job is to find a way of sustaining the health and diversity of the area and are involved with the planning and constructing and maintenance of the area
How do they manage vehicle damage in the White Mountains?
All terrain vehicle trails - quicker transport on managed routes
Traffic can damage the permafrost
Restrictions are put in
Use plastic sheets to protect the soil
They also monitor the trials to prevent extensive damage
How do they manage gold mining in the White mountains?
After the boom of gold mining big heaps of soil were left behind - to prevent further damage they closed the area
Now 6.5km of the Nome Creek has been opened to allow tourists to try gold mining
And their equipment has to be approved to prevent further damage
