The Value Of Glacial And Periglacial Landscapes Flashcards
What is the Yamal peninsula?
A harsh Periglacial environment in northwest Siberia
How cold to winter temperatures get in the yamal?
-50 degrees
How deep is the permafrost penetration in the yamal?
300 metres
What are the native people of the yamal called?
The Nenets
What is biodiversity like in the tundra?
low
How does the tundra have a role in the worldwide food web?
Provides a home for many migratory species (birds)
Why does the permafrost have a global value?
Acts as a large-scale carbon sink storing an immense amount of carbon and methane
2 x as much as atmosphere
What will happen to permafrost if the climate warms
Expected to melt releasing the trapped green house gases meaning more warming (positive feedback loop)
What services do reindeer provide for the nenets?
Transport
Clothing
Hides for tents
Meat
Income
What do the Nenets do to avoid the extreme cold?
Migrate seasonally also done to prevent over grazing
How many nomads rely on reindeer herding?
10,000
How many domesticated reindeer are herded? (Nenets)
Over 300,000
How much of the peninsula is privately owned by the herders? (Nenets)
80%
How much does the yamal hold of known gas reserves?
1/4
How many gas fields have been found?
11
How many oil gas and condensate fields have been discovered (yamal)
15
How much explored and provisionally evaluated gas reserves are there? (Yamal)
16 trillion cubic meter
Why does climate change poses a significant threat to the tundra and the Nenets?
Earlier spring melts and delays to autumn freeze affects the herders and reindeers ability to cross the tundra threatening their survival
What happened when infrastructure was built to exploit a gas field in the yamal? (Negative examples)
Pasture was destroyed leading to forced overgrazing and disruption to migration causing a conflict with the Nenets.
What is the yamal mega project?
Developed by state owned Gasprom aims to exploit and bring to to the market the vast natural gas reserves in the peninsula
What is the problem with the yamal mega project?
Environmental and cultural concerns
