Geography-Cold Environments Flashcards
What is a cold environment?
A cold environment is an environment which experiences temperatures that are at or below 0 degrees Celsius for long periods of time.
What is the polar biome?
The polar biome is located in the far North and far South of the Earth in the Arctic and Antarctica.
It’s winter temperatures can fall below -50°C and there is very little precipitation(snow).
The soil is frozen(permafrost) and plants like mosses and lichens are found on the fringes of ice.
Polar bears survive by using fur and fat to retain heat.
Penguins lay their eggs on land and bring up their young before going back to the ocean
What is the tundra biome?
Winter temperatures drop to -20°C.
This biome is located around the world in high mountainous areas such as the Himalayas and in the Northernmost areas of Asia, Europe and North America.
Brief summers can be warm and precipitation can be common in coastal areas.
Low growing flowering plants, low bushes and small trees can be found in warmer regions.
Soil is frozen(permafrost) but the surface may melt in summer.
Soil is infertile and waterlogged due to water running through.
Because there is more food and the environment is less extreme, there are arctic foxes and hares.
Birds, insects and mosquitoes can be abundant in summer.
What is the albedo effect?
White surfaces reflect more of the sun’s rays which keeps the earth cool.
Where are cold environments located?
Polar regions are typically found in the Arctic and Antarctica and in North America in Greenland. They are found above the 65° latitudinal line and below the 60° latitudinal line in the Southern Hemisphere.
Tundra regions are found along the northernmost area of North America, Europe and Asia. They are found in between 55° and 65° along the lines of latitude.
Why is the earth cold at the poles?
Intensity of Sunlight - Sunlight spreads out over a larger area of land in the northern areas which means there is less warming power.
Atmosphere - The rays have to travel through more atmospheric particles which would absorb and reflect the sun’s rays.
Albedo effect - The ice at the poles reflects 75% of sunlight.
Earth’s Tilt - The poles won’t see any sun for much of the year and very little for the rest of it.
High air pressure - These areas have less moisture and reduced precipitation.
What are some adaptations of plants in tundra biomes?
Grow close to ground - Reduces wind and ice particle damage
Small leaves - Conserves water that can be lost through leaf surface
Shallow roots - Allows the plant to grow in the active layer and avoid permafrost
Grow close together - Each plant acts as a barrier from ice and wind
Stem, buds and leaves have hairs - ‘creates a layer of insulation against cold
Can photosynthesise in cold weather - Allows the plant to store energy despite lack of sun
Produce seeds quick - Allows for germination in a small favourable climate
Can survive on bare rock - Survival of species where soil does not exist.
What are the adaptations of a polar bear?
Layers of think fur and fat - Protects against cold and is a store of fuel for hibernation.
Acute sense of smell - They can smell prey
Closable nostrils - So water doesn’t enter
White translucent fur - So they can camouflage against the snow and ice
Oily fur - Allows water to bead off reducing chances of freezing
Large dimpled feet - Allows easier grip and spreads weight across ice
Small SA:Vol ratio - Reduces heat loss
What and where is Svalbard?
An island group belonging to Norway, 1250 miles North of Oslo.
Svalbard is located in the Northern Hemisphere in Northern Europe, north of sweden and Norway. It is mostly located between the 70° and 80° lines of latitude. It is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea and the Greenland Sea. It is also east of Greenland.
Why do tourists go to Svalbard and how does it affect the economy?
Tourists will go to Norway because it has the Northern lights, many animals you won’t see anywhere else(whales, seals, reindeer, walrus, arctic fox), mountains, fjords, glaciers, polar diving, months of darkness, national parks, boats everywhere, dog sleds. It is an adventurous place
300 jobs are created for local people.
People who go on cruises here go to local shops and restaurants - 3/7 of people going to Longyearbyen were from cruise liners.
Because Longyearbyen had to increase port size, which means more fishing ships can dock and make money. Also this created jobs for the builders.
How does fishing affect Svalbard?
At least 70% of Atlantic Cod found around the world comes from the Barents Sea.
Apart from cod there are an estimated 150 species of fish living here.
The waters are extremely important for breeding and nursing grounds for fish stocks and need to be protected from pollution.
The Barents sea, south of Svalbard is one of the riches fishing grounds.
The amount of fishing in Svalbard is increasing every year (in 2001, 100,000 fish. in 2010 250,000 fish were fished).
If the amount of fish being fished keeps increasing then it won’t be sustainable which leads to overfishing.
This impacts animals like polar bears and penguins who need fish to eat.
What is the Trans-Alaskan pipeline?
The trans-Alaskan pipeline was needed to transport oil from Prudhoe bay(one of the larges oil stores in the USA) to a far-away port.
The oil takes approximately 13 days to travel.
It was built in a zig zag so it can withstand earthquakes and tremors.
The flow of oil can be shut down in 15 minutes if a leak or blockage is detected.
It can transport 1.4 million barrels of oil a day.
Alaskan citizens pay reduced taxes as a result.
The pipeline can stop Caribou migration.
The temperature of the oil can cause permafrost to melt which could cause the pipeline to collapse.
What is geothermal energy?
Svalbard is located close to the Mid Atlantic ridge - this means the crust is very thin and hot rocks are close to the surface.
The heat from the ground can generate electricity.
Water is put down a tunnel to the rock, heated up and then sucked back up.
What are the challenges of living in cold environments such as Longyearbyen?
There is only 50km of road so snowmobiles are used.
You have to travel with a gun because polar bears.
There is complete darkness from the 25th October to the 8th March which stops growing food and construction
8 months of the year are below freezing which stops growing food and construction.
An avalanche destroyed 10 homes and killed 2.
The heat from homes and buildings can melt permafrost.
Water can freeze in pipes.
Aerial tramways have to be used to transport coal.
How do we get around the challenges of living in cold environments?
Clothing - Wearing thick, insulating clothing all over your body. This includes wool or synthetic top and bottom layers, mittens, glove liners and hand warmers, hats, baclava, a midweight fleece and more.
Utilities - These cannot be transported underground so utility corridors are made above ground with wood to keep pipes insulated. Not all places are connected by utilidors so it has to be transported by vehicles.
Construction - Permafrost is strong as a foundation to build in but it can melt which makes it unstable. Most roads are built above the ground surface and buildings are insulated from the ground to prevent melting.
Accessibility - Roads are built on 1-2m deep gravel pads to prevent heat transfer. Runways are painted white in Svalbard especially during summer months to increase sun ray reflection. This stops melting and runway sinking.
