environmental fragility Flashcards
define environmental fragility
the concept of an environment benig vulnerable and at risk, as it lacks the ability to be resilient and adapt to changes
fragile cold environemnts:
what are the 3 main characteristics that make cold evironments fragile cold environemnts, explain each
higly adapted ecosystem:
-plants and animals must be highly adapted to live in the extreme weather conditions, in order to survive, especially in polar regions.
-therefore when something in the ecosystem changes (e.g higher temps) these highly adapted species find it harder to cope with the changes.
slow nutrient cycle:
-due to cold temperatures and nutrient deprived environment, cold environments nutrient cycle are slow
-this means tht things take longer to break down, as decomposition is slow
-plants cannot regenerate as quickly as in other environments, which limits growth
-this also means that if litter or froeign objects enter the environemnt, they will take a long time to decompose which can affect plant and animal behaviour
lack of biodiversity:
-due to the harsh and cold climates, only certain plants and animals thrive
-this means that food chains are limited and there is high ingterdependence between species
-if a species is removed or damaged, this can spread throughout the entire food chain, affecting every aspect of the food chain
human impacts on fragile cold environemnts:
what are the 4 main impacts that humans are having on fragile cold environemnts
-pollution
-fishing and waling
-resource exploration
-tourism
human impacts o fragile cold environments:
what are 2 different ways in which humans affect the fragile cold environemnts
where is tourism most prevalent in cold envionments
how does tourism impact the cold environment
-how has tourism impacted antarctica
-through direct intervention
-or through passive contribution
-tourism is most prevalent in the alpine environment
-the development of ski resorts increases urbanisation and contruction, displacig wildlife and the ecosystem
-humans destroy plants and the ecosystem in snow sports, this scars the environment
-any litter dropped in the environemnt will stay for a long time due to the slow nutrient cycle and slow decomposition due to the harsh climate
-antarctica tourism has seen a stark increase in recent years, over 100,000 visitors in 2023
-can lead to sea ice destruction and cruise ship crashes like the MS explorer crash in 2007
human impacts on fragile cold environments: oil extraction
-how do oil spills impact the environment
-give the example of the 1989 oil spill, where was it, what were its impacts
-oils spills can occur if what leak, between 1977 and 1994 how many leaks were there each year from which pipeline
-oil spills remain in the ecosystem for a long time, due to the slow nutrient cycle causing decomposition to be slow of oil by bacteria.
-the oil can be toxic to animals, high levels of interdependence, therefore if one species is impacts the whole food chain suffers
-harder to clean up and respond to due to the ectreme conditions
-1989 oil spill off the coast of Alaska, over 40 million litres of oil spilled into the ocean, killing over 250,000 birds and fish
-oil spills can occur if pipelines leak
-between 1977 and 1994, there were around 30-40 spills a year from the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
human impacts on fraglie cold environments:
how does mining impact the fragile cold environemnt (contamination/waste)
-what is the example of the mine that is closed but high leves of its mined minerals are found nearby
-mining can lead to ground and surface water contamination, either by chemicals used during mining or by releasing the materials being mined into the environment
-the lead-zinc mine in Maarmorilik (greenland) was closed in 1990, but high levels of zinc and lead are still found in nearby fjords
-mining prodcues both solid waste and waste water that has to be disposed of. some mining facilities dont have the capacity to deal with this waste so sometimes it is disposed of into the environment
human impacts on fragile cold environments:
-how does fishing impact the environment (food chain/overfishing/bottom trawling)
-fishing cna disrupt food chains, e.g. the overfishing of krill is detrimental since it is low in the food chain and many species rely on it, around 150-200 million tonnes are fished annually.
-overifishing of a species can severely deplete its population, sometimes beyond recovery, this can be seen through the Patagonian toothfish in the antarctic
-bottom trawling involves the process of dragging nets alng the sea bed, this disrupts the ecosystem (reducing light by increasing turbidity), it also catced unwated species as well as the desired one. this is currently being done in the Gulf of Alaska
the impacts of climate change on fragile cold environments:
what are the 3 current impacts of climate change on fragile cold environments
what are 3 predicted impacts that climate change will have on fragile cold environments
current impacts:
-melting glaciers and ice sheets, this is causing sea levels to rise. this is most prevalent in Greenland and antarctica. most glaciers are retreating due to high temperatures globally.
-permafrost is melting, e.g im alaska, this causes buildings to collapes and for ice roads to be used for less time in the year, before they begin to thaw each year
-migration patterns of some species, e.g. caribou, are changing each year
predicted:
-sea levels will further rise as temperatures increase, this could lead to flooding in low lying areas, e.g in bangladesh, and the flooding of tuvalu, bangladesh predict that by 2050 around 17% of their country will be submerged displacing around 20 million people
-melting permafrost could trigger positive feedback, as methane that is trapped in permafrost is realeased into thwe atmosphere, this will further cause temp to increase, which will cause further melting and more methane released
-plant and animals that have adapted to the harsh environemnt, may find it difficult to adapt due to their niche adaptation to the prior climate
management of fragile cold environments:
what are 2 ways that tourism is managed in fragile cold environments
2 ways in which exploitation is managed - of fish and minerals
what are the 3 ways in whichthe impacts of climate change are being mitigated in fragile cold environments
tourism:
-sustainable tourism is a growing industry, this helps to reduce the impact that poeple have on their trips whilst there. charities such as WWF are playing a key role in promoting sustainable tourism in the alps.
-polar extreme tourism encourages positive management of polar (antarctic) environemtns, this is because smaller cruise ships can land (around 100 people). cruise ships must have permit and restrictions are very tight, e.g. people must check their shoes for foreign objects.
exploitation:
-many cold enviornments are protected by law, so that any natural resources cannot be over exploited. for example to Antarctic treaty signed in 1959 by 53 countries and the madrid protocol have banned mining in antarctica until 2048.
-there are also fishing quotas and monitoring systems, alrthough there are still reports of IUU fishing.
climate change:
Paris climate deal (COP 21):
-signed by 196 countries. one aim agreed upon was to limit global temperatures to 2*C above pre-industrial levels (this has recently been breached).
-support for developing countries
-public interaction and awareness schemes
-meet every 5 years to reveiw and improve goals
EU 20-20-20:
-20% reduction in GHG emissions
-commitment to 20% of energy coming from renewable energy resources
-20% increase in energy efficiency by 2020
-EU has suggested that it will increase its reduction in emissions to 30% if major GHG producing countries also improve their targets
Charity and campaigns about awareness:
-spread awareness about cold environemnt fragility
-charities create campaigns and petitions to make contact with decision makers ( e.g. the EU)
-Greenpeace is an example of a charity spreading awareness of cold environments fragility, e.g.g seen through many reports like the one on the melting permafros in russia.
future managament of cold environemnts:
in the future what wll happen to the demand for stricter regulation on fraglie cold environments
how will climate change be in the future
how will population change impact the fragile cold environments
-in the future, the demand for stricter regulation on these fragile cold environments will increase, this is beacuse of both climate change and population growth
-climate change will only worsern and will affect all parts of the world, it will increase the melting of glaciers/permafrost etc
-increasing population will affect these environemnts as it will lead to an increase in gthe demand for resources, which will likelty be exploited in these areas, thus leading to the increased exploitation of these areas
future management of fragile cold enviornments:
what are 4 possible strategies for the future to manage and mitigate the impacts felt in these fragile cold environments
-further developments into renewable energy that will lessen co2 emissions
-further protection of oil/mineral exploitation as finite resources run out and demand increases
-stricter policies for reduced pollution
-flooding mitigation if sea levels rise, this is because if every glacier and ice sheet were to melt (if temps increase by 4-5*C above pre-industrial levels, then this is predicted to happen by 2100) then sea levels would rise by 70 metres
