Glaciation EQ4 Flashcards
Greenland- a glacial landscape
Environmental value:
- Supports a fragile ecosystem
- Opportunity of scientific research
- The Greenland ice sheet contains approximately 10% of total global ice mass, therefore plays an important role in the water cycle. If it melted, there would be an average sea level rise of almost 7m. This could lead to flooding of many coastal towns
Cultural value:
- Many Greenlandic Inuits now live in towns and work in the mining and tourism industries, however they still utilise the glacial environment to maintain their traditional lifestyle. There is an active movement among indigenous people to pass on their traditional knowledge
Economic value:
- Meltwater provides huge potential for HEP
- As the ice retreats, it reveals highly valuable deposits of coal, oil and gas
- Tourism is also a prominent sector for exploitation, with increasing number of visitors in the summer months
Yamal Peninsula, Russia- periglacial landscape
Environmental value:
- Permafrost has a global value as a carbon-sink, storing an immense amount of carbon and methane. This may melt in the warming climate, leading to these stored gases being released to add further warming (positive feedback cycle)
Cultural value:
- Nenets use the reindeer population for transportation, clothing, meat and income. They migrate seasonally to avoid the winter temperatures and prevent the overgrazing of their pastures
Economic value:
- The Nenets’ economy is driven by the reindeer meat they sell. Reindeer herding supports almost 10,000 nomads
- There are many natural resources that lie beneath the pastures, containing the biggest gas reserves in the world. It holds almost 25% of the world’s known gas reserves. There is now increasing investment and infrastructure for development of large-scale exploitation
The role of glacial and periglacial environments in maintaining natural systems
Water cycle:
- Water is stored in glacial ice and gradually released as meltwater. In some locations such as the Himalayas, summer meltwater plays an important role in human water supply
Carbon cycle:
- Wetlands, peat lands and lakes cover 70% of the arctic. These ecosystems are important carbon sinks as they store organic matter, as well as release this when they ice melts
The Lake District- relict landscape
- Over 16 million people visits the Lake District each year
- Tourism industry accounts for 40% of it’s GDP
- Vistors spend about £1.1 billion in 2014, which helps local shops
- Tourism provides over 16,000 jobs, as well as boosting the economy through the multiplier effect
Issues:
- It is under threat due to the fragile nature of the ecosystem and overuse
- Activities such as walking, climbing and camping can cause footpath erosion, trampling and littering. There are almost 2000 miles of footpaths in the Lake District
- Expose soil can be washed away easily, as well as this, walkers can destroy vegetation and compact the soil which reduces infiltration rates
Climate change:
- Loss of indigenous plants and animals
- Increase in non-native species
- Gradual movement of habitats to lower altitudes
- Heavy rain will wash more soil away, and create vulnerabilities to siltation and eutrophication
Natural hazards in glacial environments
Avalanches:
- The risk of these occurring exists when shear stress exceeds shear strength of a mass of snow located on a slope
- While avalanches tend can often be predicted, they are a significant hazard, usually killing around 200 people per year, especially in the Alps and Rockies
- The 2015 Nepalese earthquake set off many ice and rock avalanches that killed some people at the Everest base camp
Glacial outburst floods:
- These very large floods are a huge threat to people and property in mountainous regions. They may destroy properties hundreds of km from their source
- Periglacial environments also experience widespread ground subsidence when ground ice melts
- These are particularly common Iceland due to meltwater produced by volcanoes. In 1996, an eruption in Iceland caused a large amount of meltwater to burst through a glacier that ended up costing $15 million damage to infrastructure
Climate change:
- Especially alpine glaciated regions are becoming increasingly vulnerable to temperature changes
- Climate change is causing a negative mass balance for 75% of glacial environments. Positive feedback cycles are amplifying these changes
- Changes in their mass balance may result in unique glacial environments disappearing
Human threats to glaciated landscapes
Tourism:
- The Lake District generates 40% of it’s GDP from tourism
- It has 2000 miles of footpaths which are vulnerable to footpath erosion
- Tourism can lead to risk of litter and traffic congestion (pollution)
Disposable income:
- There are 300 ski resorts in the Alps
- The construction of new resorts can caused degradation and snow compaction to the pristine environment
Management approaches
- Total protection: this aims to completely conserve the natural environment
- Total exploitation: this involves maximum economic exploitation without protection of the natural environment
- Sustainable exploitation: this aims to find a balance between the need for exploitation and economic growth, with the need to conserve the natural environment
The Antarctic Treaty
- This treaty sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, establishes freedom for scientific investigations and bans all military activity
- Additional protocols and agreements can be added, such as the Madrid Protocol, which came into force in 1998, which bans all Antarctic mineral extraction for 50 years
- It also recognises tourism as a legitimate sector in Antarctica. Companies are required to have a permit. Commercial tourism has steadily increased since the 1950s, peaking in 2007/2008 season at 46,000 visitors
The Alpine convention
- This is an international agreement between the Alpine countries and the EU
- The aim is to achieve sustainable exploitation. It aims to balance to needs of the 14 million residents with the 120 million tourists per year
Zermatt ski resort, Switzerland- sustainable or not
Unsustainable:
- It faces threats due to the popularity of the resort (2,000,000 visitors per year)
- Huge demand for energy and water resources which threatens environmental degradation due to urbanisation and pollution
- WWF reports that winter ski resorts are the most ecologically devastating leisure activity in the Alps
- In 2010, a proposal for a car park for 2000 cars caused conflict with locals as 9000m squared of forest would be lost in construction
Sustainable:
- Both buildings and companies have won sustainability awards
- The town is car-free
- Zermatt Bergbahen AG is investing 1 million in local currency for environmental projects and respirations of previous environmental degradation. They claim near 85% of priority areas are now repaired
- The resort has 6 protected forests and 10 designated wildlife sanctuaries
