EQ4- How Are Glaciated Landscpaes Used And Managed Today Flashcards
Explain Greenlands environmental value as a glacial landscape
Supports a fragile biodiversity of plants and large mammals : polar bears, artic fox and whale, diverse range of fish and birds.
Organisms and ecosystem offers important opportunities for scientific research
Icesheet contains 10% of global ice mass
Scientists can drill deep into ice cores to study past climate
Explain Greenlands cultural value as a glacial landscape
Greenlands inuits still maintain their traditional lifestyle of hunting, fishing and herding
Inuit hunting culture is threatened by conservationists and environmental groups
Indigenous people are actively trying to pass on their traditional knowledge , skills and languages to the younger generation
Explain the Yamal Peninsula, Russias environmental value as a periglacial landscape
Plays a role in worldwide food webs , birds
Permafrost has a value as it stores an immense amount of carbon and methane
Permafrost is expected to melt, stored gases will be released into the atmosphere
Explain the Yamal Peninsula , Russias cultural value as a periglacial landscape
The Nenets understanding of the climate and ecosystem has enabled them to live sustainably
Reindeer provide the Nenets with transport, clothing , hides for tents , meat and income
The Nenets migrate seasonally to avoid the extreme cold winter and overgrazing
Explain how glaciated and periglacial landscapes play an important role in the maintenance of the natural carbon cycle
Explain the role of positive feedback
Is a large carbon sink, more carbon is added then lost
Stores carbon and methane preventing these gases being released into the atmosphere.
A loss of snow/ice cover leads to decreased surface albedo leading to further global warming, amplification
Explain how glaciated and periglacial landscapes play an important role in the maintenance of the biosphere (animal migration)
Is an important part of ecology as species health depends on migration
Species migrate North to periglacial landscapes as a summer home to breed and then south in the winter. Play an important role in food webs
Explain how glaciated and periglacial landscapes play an important role in the maintenance of the climate system
Contribute towards global refrigeration.
The heat deficit of polar regions is balanced by atmospheric circulation and thermohaline circulation, moving heat towards the poles.
High albedo of landscapes surfaces reflects 90% of solar energy back into space.
Cooling effect on planet, regulating global temperatures
Explain how glaciated and periglacial landscapes play an important role in the maintenance of the water cycle
Glaciated landscapes hold global ice volumes , if they melted sea levels would rise and cities like London and New York would go underwater
Periglacial landscapes thaw in summer and gradually release meltwater , a critical component in human water supply
Explain how Avalanches are formed
How are they natural hazards which threat glaciated landscapes
Exemplification
An avalanche exists when stress exceeds strength of snow located on a slope
Results from two types of snow pack failure:
Loose snow which acts like dry sand, small amount slips out of place and then moves down slope
Slab avalanches: occurs when a layer of snow breaks away from a wel underlying layer
Avalanches path can be predicted but can cause a hazard due to their size, an avalanche in Peru killed 18000 people in 1970
Explain how Lahars are formed
How is it a natural hazard for glaciated landscapes
Exemplification
Describe a mixture of water, mud and rock fragments flowing down the slopes of a volcano
These fragments can destroy areas and are a natural hazard, In 1985 volcanic activity caused glacier melting in Colombia, rushing 50km downstream and killing 23000 people instantly
Explain how glacial outburst floods (Jökulhlaup) are formed
How are they a natural hazard (Exemplification)
Is a powerful flood caused by the sudden discharge of a subglacial or ice moraine dammed lake behind a moraine obstruction
Glacial outbursts can be triggered by:
Increased flotation of ice as water levels rise
Overflow and melting of an ice dam by CC or tectonic activity
Overtopping caused by a avalanche or landslide
Melting of ice within moraine and removal of fine sediment in moraine
Is a threat to areas tens to hundreds of kilometres away from its source , destroying properties, especially in the Alps
What other natural hazards are there which can effect active a d relict glacial landscapes
Extreme cold temperatures
Thin soils
Fragile ecosystems
Seasonal extremes
Explain how Farming in a glaciated landscapes can provide economic value
Exemplification
Within developing countries, like Bolivia, alpine and highland regions are dominated by subsistence farming, 70% of population, growing crops and rearing animals
In developed countries pastoral farming and livestock management takes place in line with the climate and weather patterns
Explain how Forestry(silviculture) in glaciated landscapes provide economic value
Is the planting of trees, in areas where hill farming is a struggle, which are quick growing and to be used for softwood timber, wood pulp and paper
Explain how mining and quarrying in a glaciated landscape provides economic value
Exemplification
Glacial erosion removes soil and vegetation to expose economically valuable rock. In lowland areas, outwash deposits provide a source of sand and gravel for the building industry
Explain how hydroelectricity in a glaciated landscape provides economic value
Exemplification
Is a major use of water derived from glaciers, a renewable source of energy
Benefited countries like Switzerland who have over 500 HEP stations and produces 70% of its electricity
Explain how tourism in a glaciated landscape provides economic value
Exemplification
Visitors have been attracted to the scenery of active and relict glacial landscapes and also the outdoor activities possible: walking, climbing , skiing and mountaineering.
Mer de glace, Alps has a cable car for glacial viewing and hiking to ice caves
Explain why footpath trampling by tourists is a human threat to glaciated landscapes
(Exemplification)
Puts fragile moss mats at risk and can trigger avalanches on ski slopes
1999 avalanche in the Chamonix valley killed 12 tourists
Explain why human induced climate change is a threat to glaciated landscapes
Increases ablation and increases flood risk, with greater discharge and poorer water quality
Explain why pollution caused by humans is a threat to glaciated landscapes
Exemplification
Involves litter, fuel spills and vehicle emissions which damage land based ecosystems and pollutes habitats for marine wildlife. Involves water, air and visual pollution
2500 migrating penguins were put at risk when a ship holding 50,000 gallons of diesel sank, leading to a oil spill
Explain why overfishing is a human threat to glaciated landscapes
Exemplification
Reduces the ecosystem balance, disrupts the food chain and leads to the endangering of species
In Antartica bird species were cut in nets for fishing and drowned
Explain how construction is a human threat to glaciated landscapes
Involves infrastructure, hotels and ski lifts which disrupt the natural migratory patterns and lead to noise pollution. Removal of natural vegetation takes place reducing the natural protection from avalanches and glacial outbursts.
Explain how resource exploitation is a human threat to glaciated landscapes
Exemplification
Exploitation of metals, fossil fuels and minerals fuels the melting of ice , leading to rising sea levels and destroying of habitats
Companies from the USA , Russia and Norway are trying to drill into areas of melting ice in the Artic to extract large stores of natural gas and oil
Why are rising global temperatures the biggest threat to ice masses
Higher temperatures lead to a negative mass balance and shrinking glaciers, ice caps and Ice sheets
Periglacial areas will experience melting permafrost and dramatic changes to the ecosystem and biodiversity of the tundra