Extreme Environments Flashcards
Explain how local actions can help communities survive in extreme environments
Local actions can be introduced by local government
Government can introduce sustainable farming techniques -which will lead to an increased output without causing environmental damage
Develop low resource techniques -which will reduce the need to import expensive and difficult to attain resources
Laws could be introduced that will protect the local cultures -leading to the additional lifestyles maintained and able to flourish
Local sustainable energy plants such as using so the power in arid regions leading to sustainable and cheap energy
Outline why some communities in extreme environments are under threat from outmigration
Improved transport has made out to migration easier
Limited employment opportunities
Explain the climate of polar areas(4)
Very cold winters with temperatures up to 50°C with few or no hours of light summers are very short with many hours of light this is the growing season in tundra
They are dry with less than 300mm of precipitation per year falling mainly as snow.
Support hardly any life
Explain the climate of hot arid areas(4)
Hot temperatures of above 30 degrees
Cold night temperature because there are not many clouds to retain heat
occasional intense downfalls of rain can cause flash flooding
there is very little seasonal change in very arid areas
not many plant ,animal and human life can be supported by the hottest environments
dry many years receive less then 250 mm of precipitation
Why are extreme environments fragile?
Their unique and extreme conditions can make it very difficult for plants and animals to be able to live in them
How have flora in hot arid environments adapted ?
Grasses with extensive root systems can penetrate as far as 50 m into the ground to get access to more water and nutrients
Some trees can store water, Acacia trees have short fat chunks that act as reservoirs for excess water
Seeds can stay dormant for years and when they receive rain they are able to produce brightly coloured flowers to attract insects immediately
How have flora in polar environments adapted ?
Plants can survive strong wins by going close to the ground in cracks.
How have fauna in polar environments adapted ?
Some animals such as snowshoe rabbits and snowy owls have evolved Whitefur and feathers so that they can not easy be seen against winter snow.
Animals such as polar bears have thick layers of blubber,also the caribour deer has two layers of fat to keep the heat in.
How have fauna in hot arid environments adapted ?
Animals such as camels are able to store water in their humps
Many animals are nocturnal so they avoid the extreme heat and sun from the daytime
Some animals have a large ears which help them to dissipate heat easily
Explain how people in polar regions adapt their buildings to survive in this extreme environment
Steep roofs that allow snow to slide off
Triple glazed window is to keep heat indoors.
Some houses are raised on stilts to prevent the heat from being lost to the frozen ground beneath.
Explain how people in polar regions adapt to survive in this extreme environment
Native Alaskans hunt and fish for food rather than farming because of the permafrost and a very short growing seasons
They use geothermal heat to provide energy and hot water
Investigate the adaptions made to transport by people living in hot arid environments
Camels were used for transport
How is pollution threatening polar environments
In Alaska if the extraction of oil in 1989 and lead to 5000 see otters and many seals and Eagles being killed
In 2006 a broken pipe and dine spilled to 200,000 gallons of oil in the North Slope region
Pollution leads to the enhanced greenhouse effect which is causing our planet to warm up causing increased temperatures leading to sealevel rising and ice melting leading to a lack of habitat for animals
How are humans threatening the culture of natives in polar environments
Previously in Alaska 20 native languages worldwide to the spoken however the English language has been adopted by youngest generations of tribes.
In the 1970s American school thing insisted on classroom use of English now some languages such as yak have lost their last speaker while others are on the verge of dying out
How is pollution threatening hot arid environments
In Sahel clouds of sulphur dioxide from power stations and factories may have affected cloud formation leading to a lower level of rainfall which has resulted in a drought
