(Options) Extreme Environments Case Studies Flashcards
West Coast Desert Example x2
- Extreme West Coast of Africa
- the Baja, California
Desert due to Continentality Example
Gobi Desert, NW China
Desert due to Rain Shadow Example x2
- Death Valley
- Patagonia, East of the Andes
Desert due to Sub-tropical high pressure Example
Sahara
Erratic Example
Madison Boulder, New Hampshire, USA
Terminal Moraine Example
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
Lateral Moraine Example
Gorner Glacier, Switzerland
Medial Moraine Example
Gorner Glacier, Switzerland
Drumlin Example x2
- Drowned Drumlins of clew bay, CO. Mayo, Ireland
- New York State
Continuous Permafrost Example x4
- Parts of Siberia
- Arctic Circle
- Interior Plateaux of Central Asia
- Mountainous Regions
Periglacial Environment: Resources Case Study
Alaska (oil drilling):
- resource rich - oil, gold, fish, timber
- exploitation for economic vs inaccessibility, permafrost
- 20% USA oil from here
- Trans-Alaska Pipeline: oil through at 80 degrees, 3m above ground, $8bn, built on sleepers allow displacement earthquake
- ANWR: 9mn hectares protected wildlife area, oil companies want to drill here
High Altitude Environment Case Study
The Altiplano of Bolivia (South America poorest nation)
- land locked
- 10mn ppl - 65% indigenous, 35% spanish immigrant
- Silver Mining: mines bad conditions (forced labour), soil erosion and vegetation loss
- Tourism: local resentment (can’t afford), culture disregarded
- Agriculture: short growing season, subsistence
La Paz
- Urban Growth: shanty towns, over 1mn people, rural-urban migration, wealth disparity
Polar Environment Case Study
Siberia (-18 to -50 degrees)
- Buildings: on stilts, need constant heat and light
- Transport: sea frozen 8 months year - navigable 100 days, expensive to build rail/pipelines as large distances
- Nenets: traditional lifestyle
- Melted permafrost due to infrastructure, pasture destroyed pipeline/railway construction = 20,000 reindeer dead + migration routes blocked, 75% Russian oil, 90% Russian gas
- Noril’sk Mining: more oil and gas being found, pollution, 250,000 population
Tourism Case Study
Switzerland
- 13bn to economy in 2000
- employs 10% + = multiplier effect
- 1800 services (densest tourist transport infrastructure world) - 43 heliports
- no fly zones
- pollution
- deforestation
- congestion
- waste incinerators / landfill 65% plastic
- hard to predict impact of sports / tourism on environment
- browsing damage from animals migrating due to tourist threat
Exotic / Exogenous River Example
The Nile, Egypt
Endoreic River Example
River Jordan (drains into Dead Sea)
Desertification Case Study
Sahal, Sub-Saharan Africa
- Cause: over-grazing, poor irrigation techniques, political instability (pop growth)
- malnutrition + famine
- USAID and Red Cross education projects on sustainability of water
- Eden Foundation and USAID drip irrigation techniques taught
- stone walls and creosote bushes - wind breaks
- NGOs medical supplies in refugee camps
Drought Case Study
Somalia, NE Africa
- worst drought in 60 years
- 10,000 migrating
- 60% livestock malnourished
- civil war (UN backed gov vs islamic militants)
- 2011 - over 2mn malnourished citizens / 20% pop (famine); 678,000 refugees
- high poverty
- no TNC investment
Agriculture, Minerals and Tourism in an Extreme Environment Case Study
Death Valley
- 65-95 degrees
- unpredictable heavy rainfall causing flash floods, landslides
- extreme tourists - Furnace Springs
- average precipitation 50mm
- valley floor potential evaporation 100x precipitation
- Borax mining - economic (discovered 1880 = pop settled) - used in products eg glass, porcelain
Opportunities and Challenges in an Arid Environment Case Study
Uluru
- 350,000 tourists a year = $400mn to Australian economy
- tourists climb Uluru - considered sacred, habitat loss road construction, trampling, alien species, lowered water table
- 1985 park back to aboriginal owners, world heritage status, entrance fees = management, visitor centre educates, regular wildlife surveys, sell authentic souvenirs
Agriculture in Deserts Example
- Saudi Arabia: commercial, date-processing capital, large dairy farms + widespread cultivation wheat, irrigation
Mineral Exploitation in Deserts Examples x5
- Australia: iron ore, gold, nickel = GDP per capita desert 50% higher rest country
- Atacama Desert: copper, silver, gold
- N Africa: metals (manganese, copper, Iron)
- Morocco: phosphates leading producer
- Kalahari Desert: Diamond
Tourism and Movies in Deserts Examples / Case Studies x5
- Dubai: hotel Burj Al Arab, golf-courses, unique attractions eg indoor ski resort
- Namibia: dune buggies
- Peru: can surf dunes
- Morocco: desert marathon, film location
- Tunisia: film location of Star Wars
Sustainability: High Altitude Environment LEDC Case Study
Nepal
- heavily polluted (second hand vehicles)
- pollution concentrated e.g. factories and vehicles in Kathmandu w/ no emissions controls - 3mn bricks produced w/ 24,000 tonnes coal / 24,000 tonnes fuelwood
- 3% rural households connected to electricity
- 75% energy timber: loosing 12,000 hectares a year
- pop growth = soil erosion (steep slopes, thin soil, earthquakes, monsoon, overgrazing): 240mn tonnes top soil washed down to bay of bengal year - loss 50 tonnes fertile top soil per hectare year
- terracing + afforestation
- pop growth = deforestation = loss 10 species timber, 6 fruit trees, 4 provide medicine; habitat loss for 200 bird species, 40 mammal
- 2 decade campaign gov regenerate forests + reduce timber - use biofuel instead
- water pollution esp urban areas - factories near rivers, used waste, washing, toilet, irrigation etc - sewage into rivers, river water pumped to wells
Sustainability: High Altitude Environment MEDC Case Study
Switzerland
- dispersed factories + non-polluting
- strict emission controls on exhaust gases
- acid rain sufferer forests can’t control from GB, Fr, Spain - forefront international agreements
- landslides
- dumping of chemicals banned = water pollution rare
- Green movement: 400,000 farmers produce little waste
- recycling high w/ laws - educated + talk
Climate Change: Glacial Environments x3
- Himalayas: glaciers melting fast, glacier retreat = lakes = floods, reduce runoff
- Antarctica: valuable resources fought over, 60 research bases, 46,000 tourists 2007-8 (IAATO regulates tourism)
- Canadian Tundra: more minerals once locked in ice accessible, unpredictable sea ice can be fatal, inuit life more expensive (snowmobiles longer routes, buildings weakened melting permafrost, resource exploration a threat)
Climate Change: Desert Environments x2
- Sahel: more droughts, increased food insecurity, water supply pressure, flooding, disease (mosquitoes), resource conflict, migration
- Sengal (coping strategies): fertilisers to improve soil fertility, improve efficiency irrigation systems + pest controls, conservation techniques e.g. stone rows to impede run off on steep slopes
Solar Power
Sahara
- $50bn project looking at exporting electricity to Europe - capacity supply 15% Europe’s electricity by 2050
