Opportunities and challenges In Alaska Flashcards
What are 5 opportunities in Alaska?
Oil Tourism Fishing Mineral extraction Hydroelectric power
3 facts about oil
- Took 5 years to build pipeline that cost $8 Billion
- 800km pipeline
- Potential 6-16 billion barrels lie under Alaska but cannot be used
3 facts about tourism
- 2 million people per year, offers employment however it is seasonal and poorly paid
- 60% come from cruise ship passengers
- Hiking, skiing, rock climbing, helicopter sight seeing, whale watching, kayaking are amongst the attractions
What are the 2 types of fishing
Commercial
Subsistence
Subsistence fishing is
To provide for for native people
Commercial fishing is for
Selling to make money
How many rivers are in Alaska
300
How many lakes are in Alaska
3 million
How many miles of coastline in Alaska
33,000
What is an advantage of fishing
It is an example of sustainable management
Facts about commercial fishing
- one in ten Alaskans work in the sector
- provides 78,500 jobs
- ## adds $6 Billion to state economy each year
What is subsistence fishing used for
- food
- oil (for fuel)
- bones (for clothing and tools)
Facts about mineral extraction in alaska
- 1/5 of mining wealth is from gold
- sliver, zinc, and lead are also important
- possible half billion dollars investment was walked away from due to opposition, when ANGB America closed the pebble mine gold project on 2013
Facts about hydroelectric power in Alaska
- supplies 21% of the states electrical energy
- over 50 hydroelectric power plants
- has 365,000 miles of rivers and 33,000 miles of coastline so suitable for this
What is a disadvantage of hydroelectric power
- HEP can cause loss of habitat
- high cost
Challenges of Alaska
- houses need to be raised otherwise heat melts permafrost
- elevated oil pipes for same reason that are also zig zag for earthquakes
- snow and ice makes roads unusable
- solifluction melts top layer which floods places such as highways
- permafrost appears when active layer melts making roads unusable
- constant melting and freezing makes ground uneven which is called thermokarst
- cannot collect oil due to national reserves such as Alaskan wildlife conservation
Why are houses and oil pipes raised
So it doesn’t melt permafrost
Why are oil pipes zig zag
Earthquakes
What is solifluction
It melts the top active layer of permafrost which can flood roads
What is it called when constant freezing and melting makes the ground uneven
Thermokarst
Why can oil not always be collected
It is below nation reserves such as Alaskan wildlife conservation centre
