Extreme Enviromments Info Flashcards
What are the areas of polar and hot arid climates I have studied?
Arctic
Australian desert
What are the characteristics of a polar climate?
Temp:
Below 0°C
Never above 10°C
Winter usually = -20° to -30°C
Precipitation:
Dry
Often less than 300mm per year
Snow
Seasonality: Up to 24 hours daylight in summer Up to 24 hours darkness in winter Long cold winter Short summer growing season
Variability:
Becoming more variable with global warming
Milder winters
What are the characteristics of a hot arid climate?
Temp:
Above 30°C
Never below 15°C
Precipitation:
Dry
Often less than 500mm per year
Short, heavy rainstorms
Seasonality:
Short wet season + few cooler months
Clear skies at night = cold
Variability:
Low variability
Periods of extreme drought are common
Dust storms are common
How have polar flora adapted?
Shallow roots avoid permafrost Coniferous forest have needles to reduce water loss Cone shape trees shed snow Cone shape trees bend in wind Cushion shape plants trap heat Flowers twist to follow sun
How have polar fauna adapted?
Eg polar bear Small SA:vol = reduce heat loss (small ears) Thick blubber for heat Thick fur for heat White fur for camouflage Large feet to spread weight Fur on soles of feet for grip Large claws and teeth for prey Strong legs for hunting and swimming
How have desert flora adapted?
Extensive deep roots
Store water in roots, stems and or leaves (succulent eg cacti)
Cacti needles reduce SA -> reduce water loss
Waxy cuticles on leaves reduce water loss
Contain spices / toxins / camouflage to reduce being eaten
Eucalyptus = drought tolerant Waxy leaves Leaves hang vertically to reduce water loss (less exposure to sun) Leaves shed to reduce water loss Dormant through droughts
How have desert fauna adapted?
Bilby:
Nocturnal -> avoid day heat
Burrows for moisture and cooler conditions
Low moisture levels needed -> food water is enough
Large SA:vol
Red kangaroo: Large SA:vol Hopping is fast and efficient Water content from dew Sleep during day, food at dawn / dusk Rain stimulates female breeding hormones so only breed during wet season
What factors do people adapt to survive?
Food supplies and farming Building design Body shapes and clothing Transport and communications Energy conservation and use
How have people in polar climates adapted food supplies and farming?
Farming is not possible -> traditionally seasonal hunting -> food is frozen or salted to preserve
Inuit diets based on protein and fat
How have people in polar climates adapted building design?
Steep roofs shed snow
Triple glazed Windows
Buildings face sun to increase solar gain
Built on stilts -> avoid melting permafrost
How have people in polar climates adapted body shapes and clothing?
Arctic Inuits are short and stocky -> conserve heat
Layered clothing
Animal skin clothing
Hi-tech modern insulating clothes
How have people in polar climates adapted transport and communications?
Pipelines are above ground to avoid permafrost -> easier to maintain
Roads built on gravel pads to avoid melting permafrost
Walk on skis / snowmobiles etc
How have people in polar climates adapted energy conservation and use?
High energy use despite insulation
Arctic and Siberia have large oil and gas fossil fuel reserves to reduce energy costs
How have people in hot arid climates adapted food supplies and farming?
Traditionally indigenous in Sahel planted crops in zai pits
(A hole with organic matter in it to absorb seasonal rain, covered with soil to prevent evaporation)
Dig boreholes and wells to trap groundwater
How have people in hot arid climates adapted building design?
Flat roofs -> sleeping outside, solar panels
Small shuttered windows -> keep heat out
Thick walls -> keep heat out
Underground homes (Coober Pedy AUS)
How have people in hot arid climates adapted body shape and clothing?
Indigenous are often tall and slender -> lose body heat
Light and loose clothes -> allow air circulation
How have people in hot arid climates adapted transport and communications?
Camels -> cope with aridity
Travel at night
Modern roads and rails designed to cope with heat eg tranaustralian railway
How have people in hot arid climates adapted energy conservation and use?
Urban areas have parks and green areas -> reduce excessive heat
Buildings designed to reduce need for air conditioning eg Windows face away from sun
Examine the culture and uniqueness of people in a polar climate and the value of this culture to others
Inuits - Arctic
Uniqueness:
• most live in tribes -> no ‘central’ leadership
• often live in remote areas
• ceremonies surrounding whale and seal hunting
• nomadic herders of caribou
• live in igloos in winter, animal skin tents in summer
Values:
• treat people, land, animals, plants with respect
• use every part of the animal they kill
• strict hunting rules eg not killing animal in their mating season
Examine the culture and uniqueness of people in a hot arid climate and the value of this culture to others
Aboriginals - Australia
Uniqueness:
• see the land as sacred and to be protected
• Uluru is sacred
• survive by hunting or gathering
• use fire to drive animals out to hunt, to clear wood and allow grass to grow -> fire proof plants eg eucalyptus
• crafts based on hunting eg boomerang
• customs and stories always spoken, never written
Values:
• nomadic
• live with few possessions due to mobile lifestyle
• waste nothing
• learnt to conserve water, firewood and other scarce desert resources
• traditional desert houses have good insulation to stay cool during day and warm at night
• desert people have deep knowledge of plant’s medical properties
If asked about culture, what does this include?
Traditions
Lifestyles
What are the threats to people and natural systems in extreme environments?
Out migration
Cultural dilution
Resource exploitation
Land degradation
What are the threats to people and natural systems in polar regions?
Out migration:
Jobs in Arctic include oil gas and mining industries -> physically hard -> high pay can’t compensate for the isolation and lack of social opportunities
Cultural dilution (Alaska): Loss of traditions by - immigration into country - decline of nomadism - changing diets - loss of story telling traditions - alcohol has damaging effect
Resource exploitation (Alaska and Siberia): Oil, gas and mining changed landscape -> wilderness disturbed by roads and pipelines -> disrupting animal migration routes
Land degradation (Siberia): Oil spills are common (up to 5million tonnes each year) 0.5million tonnes leak into rivers, damaging river ecosystems
What are the threats to people and natural systems in hot arid regions?
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Impacts of climate change on a hot arid area
Lower rainfall, higher temps
Natural systems:
- more desertification and erosion of topsoil
- more heavy rainstorms -> flooding -> erosion -> landslides
- migration of species -> disrupted grazing and breeding areas
- more dust storms
Traditional economies:
- more droughts -> famine -> malnutrition
- people migrate
- rural-urban migration because of falling food and water supplies
- the big dry in Australia 2001-2010 lost £3 billion
Impacts of climate change on a polar area
Warmer temps, shorter winters, more storms
Environmental impact:
- melting permafrost
- loss of Arctic sea ice -> ice dependent seals and polar bears can’t feed or breed
- coniferous forest tree line moves north and tundra grass line shrinks
- increased coastal erosion
Impacts of people:
- prey is scarce -> loss of traditional hunting lifestyle
- diets change
- harder to move around as permafrost melts
- migration to urban areas as traditions disappear and communities split up
- threat to coastal communities
Economic impacts:
- shorter shipping transport routes
- easier oil exploration
- longer tourist season
