Cood Environments Flashcards
What are the 3 cold environments case studies
Antarctica
Trans Alaskan pipeline
Svalbard
What is the Tundra climate like
Very cold
Varying levels of rainfall across year
Very high wind speeds due to absence of trees
In winter temperature can reach -50 degrees (there are distinct seasons between summer and winter)
3 reasons why cold environments are cold
Albedo effect
Tilt of Earth
Angle of incidence
3 layers of soil in cold environments
Active layer (top)
Permafrost (middle)
Talik (bottom)
3 stores of nutrient cycle (in Tundra)
Biomass
Litter
Soil
4 challenges plants face in tundra
No food or drink
Strong winds
Freezing temperatures
Darkness
One plant that has adapted to the Tundra environment
Bearberry plant
Adaptations of bearberry plant for Tundra
Stems= thick bark for stability in strong winds
Hairy stems retains heat and keeps pant safe in very low temperatures
Very low growing (5- 15cm off ground)= survives in strong winds
Bright red berries= eaten by birds and owls to help distribute seeds
4 opportunities of Svalbard
Extreme tourism
Scientific research
Fishing
Mineral extraction and energy
Name of sea south of Svalbard used for fishing
Barents Sea- 150 fish species found here
Number of fish species found in Barents Sea
150 (including haddock and herring)
How many students study at University of Svalbard and what courses
Over 350
Including geology
How many are employed in mining e.g coal in Svalbard
300 +
What is Svalbard’s main island
Spitsbergen
4 challenges of Svalbard
Infrastructure
Construction
Extreme temperatures
Accessibility
Why must pipes be overground in Svalbard
To stop their contents from freezing e.g when transporting water as the permafrost is very cold
What temperatures can Svalbard reach
-30 degrees
3 adaptations of polar bears
White fur- camouflage in snow and sneak on prey (arctic fox)
Huge paws (30cm in diameter) -distribute their weight and stop them sinking in snow
Thick layer of blubber (up to 10cm thick) - for insulation and warmth in freezing temperatures as well as food storage
5 terms of Antarctic Treaty
Mining banned until 2048
No territorial claims
Nuclear tests banned
Protect all plant and animal life
Share scientific research
What is the Trans- Alaskan Pipeline a case study of
How different strategies (technology) can be used to reduce the damage done to the cold environment whilst still exploiting oil
What year was the Antarctic Treaty introduced
1959
Svalbard’s location/ facts
Svalbard is a Norwegian territory located between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean. It is one of the most Northerly groups of islands in the world that’s inhabited and has a population of around 2,700.
Its main island (as it is a collection of islands), is called Spitsbergen and its capital is called Longyearbyen
3 cold environment biomes
Polar
Tundra
Alpine
Features of Trans Alaskan pipeline
Pump stations
Raised on supports
Teflon slippers
Insulation
Why is the Trans Alaskan pipeline built on stilts 3m above ground
Prevents permafrost from melting
Allows caribou to migrate underneath
Purpose of pump stations in Trans Alaskan pipeline
Heat and pressurise oil to move it over mountain ranges (Brooks and Alaskan Mountain Range) + 34 major river crossings
2 mountain ranges Trans- Alaskan pipeline passes over
Brooks
Alaskan Mountain range
Why must the Trans Alaskan pipeline be insulated
Stop oil being transported from freezing and heat escaping and melting permafrost
Where are tundra environments located
Northern hemisphere around Arctic circle e.g Northern Canada, Greenland and Northern Russia
Describe the angle of incidence at the Poles
Sunlight strikes Earth at very narrow angle so light is dispersed over large area and not very concentrated like at the Equator so less energy is converted to heat per square kilometre making it colder
What is the active layer like
Top layer of soil
Thaws in summer and freezes in winter
10cm-5m deep
Describe the permafrost layer
Permenantly frozen middle layer of tundra soil and is very tough like concrete so no plant roots can penetrate this layer
Up to 1.5km deep
What is the thickest layer of tundra soil
Permafrost (permanently frozen middle layer)
Is the Talik (bottom layer of tundra soil) frozen or unfrozen
Unfrozen
What is the Talik like and why is it unfrozen
Mostly rock and thin bottom layer of tundra soil
Unfrozen due to geothermal heating from mantle
Why is the active layer sometimes frozen but sometimes unfrozen
In summer it thaws due to warmer temperatures as there is a wide range in temperatures throughout the year, even though it is always very cold
What are wilderness areas
Unspoilt and remote regions of the world
Why are the world’s wilderness areas becoming increasingly under pressure
Climate change is wiping out ecosystems
The areas have been opened up to tourists and businesses e.g Antarctica
What resources are available in cold environments
Oil, gas, gold and other precious minerals
Tourism e.g northern lights
Fishing
Valuable research
True or false, cold environments are fragile wilderness that have value and should be protected (even if they provide economic benefits like mining)
True
True or false, permafrost contains lots of methane
True
If we damage the cold environment all the methane could be released having catastrophic environmental impacts
How low growing is the bear berry plant
5-15cm off the ground
Why does the bearberry plant have bright red seeds
So that they can be very visibly seen and eaten by birds and owls to help distribute the seeds
What do bearberry plant stems have to help them keep stable in the very strong winds
Thick bark
What is Svalbard’s accessibility like and why is this a challenge
Very limited and hard to get to
Only 50km of road in capital (Longyearbyen and 1 airport and access by boat is limited due to the sea being frozen over in winter)
What are polar bear’ prey
Arctic fox
(Has white fur to be able to camouflage in snow and sneak up on it)
How thick can polar bears’ blubber be
Up to 10cm
2 Functions of blubber in polar bear
Warmth
Food storage
Which ocean is Svalbard located in
Arctic ocean
How many pumping stations does the Trans Alaskan pipeline have
11
How high above the ground is the Trans Alaskan pipeline raised
3m (on stilts)
Why is the Trans Alaskan pipeline insulated
Allows oil to flow through pipeline and to stop the oil from freezing
Prevents heat getting out and melting permafrost
Why is it important that the Trans Alaskan pipeline is flexible and can can slide
Stop it breaking in earthquake
Purpose of Teflon slippers in trans Alaskan pipeline
Allow it to move from side to side in zig zag pattern to prevent it from breaking in an earthquake
What faults does the Trans Alaskan pipeline lie on that puts it at risk of earthquakes
Denali fault
What are PIGS used for in Trans Alaskan pipeline
Cleaning it to reduce risk of oil spills and damage to environment
What temperature can it reach in Svalbard (challenge)
Below -30 degrees
Give examples of 5 tourist rules in Antarctica in order to protect the wilderness area
Only 100 tourists from cruise ships can land at a time
Visitors mustn’t take or leave anything behind
Do not feed/ touch/ photograph wildlife in ways that could alter their behaviour
Visitors must comply with the Treaty
Tourism must be run through the IAATO (a group of tour operators that enforce the rules listed above)
Name of tour operators in Antarctica that ensure visitors help protect the area and wildlife
IAATO
Give an example of a conservation group helping to protect a cold environment from development
Greenpeace in Antarctica
2 achievements of Greenpeace in Antarctica
World Parks Antarctica (environmental campaign where Antarctica will be protected from exploitation e.g mining)
The Ross Sea Marine protected area (important habitats for marine mammals e.g penguins and fish in Ross sea are protected e.g no fishing)
Why do Greenpeace want to protect natural environments like Antarctica from exploitation
Want to help protect the natural wildlife and ecosystems, especially with increasing threat of climate change
How many country signed the Antarctic Treaty
52
Purpose of Antarctic Treaty
Preserve fragile polar environment for science and peace
Where are the polar biomes located
North and south of Arctic circle
Where are the alpine biomes located
Dispersed along west coasts of north and South America
Small cluster just North of Tropic of Cancer in East Asia (Himalayas)
How do Arctic Tribes use reindeer to live
Use fur to make warm clothing to deal with extreme freezing temperatures and prevent frostbite
Also eat reindeer meat and use coldness as freezer to help preserve it
Use reindeer to help them travel e.g to move their house
3 features of an Arctic survival outfit/ kit
Thick hat made from wool to insulate head and prevent frostbite
Polar bear deterrent- polar bears are very dangerous and a serious threat so this scared them away
Polarised sunglasses- protect your eyes from albedo effect to prevent snow blindness
3 cold environment biomes
Tundra
Polar
Alpine
Due to white surfaces up to what % of light is reflected back to space
90%
What is Greenpeace
A group of key organisations campaigning to help protect and defence teh natural world and environment against human activity
What is greenpeace
NGO
Group of organisations who campaign for protection of environment against human activity
What is greenpeace
NGO
Group of organisations who campaign for protection of environment against human activity
Example of conservation group helping to protect a cold environment from development
Greenpeace- NGO who campaign to protect natural environments from exploitation including Antarctica
What is Antarctic treaty a case study of
International agreement and conservation groups helping to protect Antarctica from exploitation and to preserve the fragile polar environment for science and peace
What temperature can it reach in the tundra
-50 degrees
What temperature can the polar biome reach
-90 degrees
Why are cold environments fragile
Plants and animals have highly adapted to the harsh climate and physical characteristics (e.g plants not being able to penetrate through the soil) therefore any changes or disruption can imbalance ecosystems taking them years to recover (if they are able to recover at all)
Plants take a long time to decompose and grow back very slowly due to a lack of nutrients making the nutrient cycle very slow
Species are extremely dependent on each other due to a lack of biodiversity so if just one species dies this can be catastrophic for the whole ecosystem e.g krill are under threat in Antarctica and form the base of most ecosystems meaning penguins are having to migrate to other areas
One affect of reducing number of krill in Antarctica
Penguins are having to migrate to other areas to find food so then there is more competition for food meaning less penguins survive
Why can’t oil be transported across Alaska by ships
Sea ice in winter (sea freezes) obstructs ships so they can’t get through
Why can’t oil be transported across Alaska by ships
Sea ice in winter (sea freezes) obstructs ships so they can’t get through
Why can’t oil be transported across Alaska by ships
Sea ice in winter (sea freezes) obstructs ships so they can’t get through
