People And Cold

Question 1

Problems with physical environment of tundra

Most make growing food tricky

Answer 1

Low temperature
Short summers therefore short growing season
Low precipitation
Thin stony poorly developed soil
Permafrost
Surface thaw in summer - water logging 
Snow lying for long periods , blizzards

Question 2

Why is the tundra fragile

Answer 2

Global warming so deepening and widening of active layer

Permafrost retains huge amounts of co2 and methane which is released of it melts so adds to greenhouse effect

Question 3

Indigenous people case study

Answer 3

Vuntut gwitchin, Alaska

Question 4

Vuntut traditional way of living

Answer 4

Economic - was hunting and fishing, seals , reindeer or caribou
Lifestyle- Inuits were very mobile, some migrated with caribou, nomadic, dog sledges to travel

Question 5

Was the traditional way of vuntut living sustainable?why

Answer 5

Living put little pressure on environment
Totally sustainable
Adapted to challenge of climate and limited resources

Question 6

Vuntut modern changes

Answer 6

Economic -jobs available in government eg quarry local construction, hunting and fishing
Lifestyle - no longer nomadic some have homes in old crow, snow mobiles to travel ,rifles now used for hunting not spears

Question 7

Why is vuntut modern living less sustainable

Answer 7

There’s a disproportional number of young and old

Working age migrate away to seek paid work elsewhere

Question 8

Old crow flats location

Answer 8

Flat landscape
North of Arctic circle
Close to Alaskan border
Only permanent settlement in region is old crow

Question 9

Old crow flats climate

Answer 9

Mean annaul daily temp - -10c
January - -35c
July - 15c
Total precipitation 200mm

Question 10

Physical features old crow flat

Answer 10

5000km2
Pristine wilderness
Continuous permafrost 
Has patterned ground and ice polygons and wedges
Covered in 2000+'shallow lakes and ponds

Question 11

Old crow flats settlement facts

Answer 11

250-300 inhabitants
Situated on porcupine river, north of Yukon
Old crow airport - community can’t be reached by car

Question 12

Caribou heading

Answer 12

Used for food and clothes - dependent on them
Caribou migrate it coastal plain in Arctic national wildlife refuge (ANWR) to give birth to young
All parts of animal are used
Recent fall in caribou numbers due to climate change eg higher snow fall
Been important for thousands of years to Northern yukons natural environment

Question 13

Muscrat trapping - more like a festival

Answer 13

Season begins mid April - June 15
Camps are set up with no electricity,water
Live in tents of 5/6
Traditional - travel made by dog team
Muscrat is main source of fresh meat until caribou in summer
Canoes are also used when ice melts

Question 14

What’s unique about Antarctica ( Southern Ocean )

Answer 14

Remotest,coldest,windiest driest least populated continent
-49c few species can survive

Covered in ice sheets abs shelves which store about 70% of earths fresh water

Question 15

Give two reasons why wilderness areas like Antarctica are worth conserving.

Answer 15

aesthetic value, unique wildlife and pure natural system, to preserve gene pool of wild organisms to ensure genetic variety is maintained
Penguins
Seals

Question 16

Why is Antarctica fragile,

Answer 16

Small changes can have a large effect and it has slow environmental recovery. Footprint on moss can last decades

Question 17

When was Antarctic Treaty signed , two agreements?

Answer 17

1959
To preserve the continent as a base for scientific research
To protect native fauna
To keep tourism under control

Question 18

What did the 1998 Madrid protocol ban

Answer 18

Mining activities and will be revised in 1948 I case we need those resources

Question 19

Economic activity In Antarctica

Answer 19

Sealing - over 300,00 seals killed in 3 yrs and population had been virtually eradicated
Whaling- mainly want blue and white whales, banned in 1985
Fishing - now replaced whaling, Antarctica Rock cod exploited

Question 20

Which countries want to overturn whaling ban

Answer 20

Japan
Russia
Iceland

Question 21

Why are conservationists worried about fishing for krill?

Answer 21

Krill underpin whole of Southern Ocean for web and support larger animals eg seals,penguins, whales

Ecosystem could be harmed if numbers drop too far

Question 22

Tourism in Antarctica

Answer 22

Unusual destination as not populated except for scientists at research stations

Question 23

Why are polar scientists concerned about increased tourists ?

Answer 23

They could destroy near perfect environment and their scientific work
But tourists can help publicising and raising funds

Question 24

Why do tourists visit Antarctica? How do they get there

Answer 24

To experience remoteness and isolation see seals, penguins whales glacial landscapes.

Get to by specially designed ships

Question 25

What measures are taken to limit tourist impact

Answer 25

only a small number of tourists are allowed ashore at one time; 20 tourists per expert guide; tourists are briefed on the requirements of the Antarctic Treaty and the environmental protocol; a site can only be visited once every 2 or 3 days.

Question 26

Why are there still some concerns about the potential impact of tourism on Antarctica

Answer 26

The tourists visit during the summer months which is during the breeding season; land-based installations are clustered in a few ice-free locations; there is the risk of pollution and oil leaks when ships run aground; the environment is very fragile.

Question 27

What are the main pressures facing Antarctica in the future

Answer 27

increased pressure to exploit mineral resources such as coal and oil; threat of global warming and the melting of the ice sheet.

Question 28

Tundra characteristics

Answer 28

Cold, less than 5c, precipitation ( mostly snow) less than 100 mm per year.
Brief summer