Earth Life Support Systems Pt2- Tundra

Question 1

What is the location of the Tundra?

Answer 1

It is found in the Northern hemisphere.
It covers 8 million km squared.

Question 2

What are examples of countries that the Tundra may be found?

Answer 2

Alaska
Siberia
North Canada

Question 3

What is the climate like in the Tundra?

Answer 3

Extremely cold climate- 8 to 9 months of negative heat balance.
Winter temps can reach below -40 degrees.
Low precipitation.

Question 4

What is negative heat balance?

Answer 4

Where average temps in the tundra are below freezing.

Question 5

How much precipitation does the Tundra recieve?

Answer 5

50-300mm pa

Question 6

What lies under a lot of the tundra?

Answer 6

Permafrost

Question 7

When does the active layer thaw in the Tundra?

Answer 7

In the Summer

Question 8

How much plants and animals can be found in the Tundra?

Answer 8

Low biodiversity
Treeless
Animals are well adapted to extreme conditions, such as arctic fox and hare.

Question 9

Why is the Tundra treeless?

Answer 9

Extreme temps

Question 10

What type of vegetation can be found in the lower arctic?

Answer 10

Continuous

Question 11

What type of vegetation can be found in the higher arctic?

Answer 11

Discontinuous

Question 12

What are the flows in the water cycle in the Tundra?

Answer 12

Low annual precipitation
Low evaporation
Permafrost is a barrier to infiltration, percolation and groundwater flow.

Question 13

Why is there low evaporation?

Answer 13

As ground temperature remains low therefore most of the year the surface/soil water is frozen.

Question 14

What are the stores in the water cycle in the Tundra?

Answer 14

Low absolute humidity
Limited groundwater and soil moisture stores.
During the summer a thermokarst landscape exists

Question 15

What does low absolute humidity mean?

Answer 15

Little moisture stored in the atmosphere due to the low temps.

Question 16

Why is there limited groundwater and soil moisture stores?

Answer 16

Due to the permafrost

Question 17

What does a thermokarst landscape create?

Answer 17

It forms a temporary store of liquid water as wetlands, ponds and lakes can’t drain due to the permafrost.

Question 18

What are the flows in the carbon cycle in the Tundra?

Answer 18

Carbon flux mainly in summer.
Carbon rich litter contributes to soil during growing season.
CO2 released to atmosphere during summer.
Permafrost increasingly seen as a carbon source due to global warming.

Question 19

When does the carbon flux mainly occur in the Tundra?

Answer 19

In the summer when the active layer thaws and long hours of daylight allow plants to grow rapidly.

Question 20

How is CO2 released to the atmosphere in the Tundra if there’s little vegetation?

Answer 20

Due to respiration of micro-organisms during the summer.

Question 21

What are the stores of the carbon cycle in the Tundra?

Answer 21

The amount of carbon stored in the soils is 5X that in above ground biomass.
High amounts of carbon locked up in permafrost.

Question 22

What’s the amount of biomass in the Tundra?

Answer 22

4-29 tonnes/ha

Question 23

What’s the NPP in the Tundra?

Answer 23

200g/m squared/ year

Question 24

What does permafrost store?

Answer 24

Carbon

Question 25

What are the physical factors affecting the water cycle?

Answer 25

Climate Rock type and permeability Relief

Question 26

How does the climate affect the flow of evapotranspiration in the water cycle?

Answer 26

A higher temp limits evapotranspiration

Question 27

How does the climate affect the humidity in the water cycle?

Answer 27

It limits the humidity all year

Question 28

What are the 2 factors that climate affects in the water cycle?

Answer 28

Limits evapotranspiration So the climate also limits the humidity

Question 29

How does the rock type and permeability affect the water cycle?

Answer 29

Crystalline rocks dominate in the Tundra and have minimal permeability. However, the permafrost is the key limiter for permeability and prevents drainage.

Question 30

What type of rock dominates in the Tundra?

Answer 30

Crystalline rocks

Question 31

How does the relief of the Tundra affect the water cycle?

Answer 31

Where the land is flat, water will stay there and cause waterlogging, which will lead to anaerobic conditions.

Question 32

What's a product of anaerobic conditions from waterlogging?

Answer 32

methane

Question 33

What are the physical factors affecting the carbon cycle?

Answer 33

Climate Presence of permafrost

Question 34

How does a cold climate affect the carbon cycle in the Tundra?

Answer 34

Creates frozen conditions so carbon is mainly stored in the permafrost as frozen partly decomposed matter. Very little biomass due to limited plant growth.

Question 35

How long has frozen partly decomposed matter been locked up in the permafrost in the Tundra for?

Answer 35

500,000 years

Question 36

How does the presence of permafrost affect the carbon cycle?

Answer 36

The permeability of the rock type has a little influence on the carbon cycle due to the presence of permafrost.

Question 37

What are the seasonal changes of the water cycle in the Tundra?

Answer 37

The melting o the active layer means that liquid water flows and stores on the surface in summer. Evapotranspiration varies throughout the year. Water logging occurs during the summer.

Question 38

What is the variation in evapotranspiration seasonally?

Answer 38

Very little in winter some in the summer

Question 39

What are the seasonal changes of the carbon cycle in the Tundra?

Answer 39

The carbon store in biomass is low but greater during short growing season. There's some carbon emissions in the summer.

Question 40

Why is there some carbon emissions in the summer?

Answer 40

Because of the increase in activity of micro-organisms, with CO2 released through respiration.

Question 41

What is our example of how the impact of developing oil and gas productions is affecting the water and carbon cycles?

Answer 41

The Northern part of Alaska, for the Trans Alaskan pipeline

Question 42

When was oil first discovered in Prudhoe Bay?

Answer 42

1968

Question 43

What were the challenges associated with the development of oil and gas in the area of North Alaska?

Answer 43

There's extreme temps Long hours of darkness in winter Lack of accessibility Permafrost

Question 44

By the 1990s, the North slope in Alaska accounted for nearly what percentage of the USA's domestic oil production?

Answer 44

25% However this is now 6%

Question 45

What is the main impact of oil/gas production because of the Trans Alaskan Pipeline?

Answer 45

The melting of permafrost

Question 46

What is the major carbon store in the Tundra?

Answer 46

The permafrost

Question 47

Why is the permafrost in the Tundra melting?

Answer 47

Construction of houses means that oil and gas is being used, diffusing heat from this into the environment Removal of vegetation cover

Question 48

How does the melting of the permafrost impact the water cycle?

Answer 48

Increases run-off so more risk of flooding. Road constructions used for the transportation of oil and gas have disrupted the drainage networks in places.

Question 49

How does the melting of permafrost impact the carbon cycle?

Answer 49

Large amounts of CO2 and methane is released. Once frozen, plant material in permafrost thaws and decays also releasing gases.

Question 50

How does oil and gas prospecting impact the carbon cycle?

Answer 50

Gas flaring and oil spillages input CO2 into the atmosphere.

Question 51

How does industrial development impact the carbon cycle?

Answer 51

The destruction of the Tundra vegetation for this reduces photosynthesis. Thawing of the soil can increase decomposition and respiration by microbial activity emitting CO2.

Question 52

What are the management strategies used to try to reduce the impacts of the oil and gas industry on the water and carbon cycles?

Answer 52

Insulated ice and gravel pads Buildings and pipelines elevated on piles Drilling laterally beyond drilling platforms

Question 53

What are Insulated ice and gravel pads?

Answer 53

When roads and other infrastructural features can be built on gravel pads to protect the permafrost from melting.

Question 54

What does it mean when we build buildings and pipelines elevated on piles?

Answer 54

It will allow cold air to circulate beneath the structures so that the permafrost doesn't melt. It also provides insulation against heat generating buildings.

Question 55

What does it mean when we drill laterally beyond drilling platforms?

Answer 55

new drilling techniques are allowing us to have access to oil and gas several km from the drilling site.

Question 56

What does drilling laterally beyond drilling platforms reduce the impact of?

Answer 56

reduces the impact on vegetation and permafrost from construction.