Polar Tundra Climate

Question 1

Location of polar tundra climates

Answer 1

• in a band across most of the northern hemisphere

Question 2

Places that have a polar tundra climate

Answer 2

• Alaska, N Canada, Greenland, Norway, Sweden

Question 3

What are the summers like?

Answer 3

cold

Question 4

Monthly average temperature of?

Answer 4

less than 10°C, but can fall to -40°C

Question 5

What percentage of the Earth do polar tundra climates cover?

Answer 5

more than 20%

Question 6

What is the permanently frozen ground called?

Answer 6

Permafrost

Question 7

What type of pressure system are polar tundra climates?

Answer 7

high pressure

Question 8

Importance?

Answer 8

• less important compared to monsoon climates, due to a smaller population

Question 9

Population of polar tundra climates?

Answer 9

13.1 million

Question 10

What has happened to the indigenous population?

Answer 10

• grown

- due to increased healthcare and discovery of natural resources

Question 11

What is happening to the total population in polar tundra climates?

Answer 11

declining

Question 12

Is arable farming possible?

Answer 12

• only artificially as nutrient rich soil is frozen

- people used raised beds and polytunnels

Question 13

What is commonly hunted in N America?

Answer 13

Caribou

Question 14

What dominates over land-based activities?

Answer 14

• fishing
• adventure tourism
• mineral extraction

Question 15

Who depends on the polar tundra climates, and how?

Answer 15

• indigenous population (e.g. Inuit in Canada)

- the climate has supported indigenous people sustainably for thousands of years

Question 16

The Sami in N Europe?

Answer 16

• follow seasonal movement of reindeer northwards to treeless tundra in summer
• and southwards to the boreal forests in winter

Question 17

Inuit in Canada and Greenland?

Answer 17

• have hunted Caribou and seals in winter
• fished in the summer
• always sustainably and small scale

Question 18

What impacts will climate change have on polar tundra climates? (2)

Answer 18

• increase in temp

- sea level rises

Question 19

How will permafrost be affected by warming temperatures due to climate change?

Answer 19

• thawing permafrost will release CO2 into the atmosphere

- positive feedback cycle

Question 20

How may climate change and increasing temperatures affect people and animals?

Answer 20

• affect traditional practices (e.g. ice fishing)
• Caribou may be affected by food shortages, which in turn affects indigenous people
• changes in migration patterns of seals