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GCSE Geography case studies > Alaska > Flashcards

Alaska Flashcards

1
Q

Alaska’s size?

A

2 million km2

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2
Q

What country does Alaska border to the East?

A

Canada

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3
Q

What Ocean does Alaska border to the North?

A

The Arctic ocean

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4
Q

What ocean does Alaska border to the South?

A

The Pacific Ocean

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5
Q

What is to the West of Alaska?

A

Bering strait

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6
Q

What does the Bering strait separate at its narrowest and by what distance?

A

USA from Russia by 82km

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7
Q

What is the largest US state?

A

Alaska

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8
Q

What is Alaska ranking among the states for lowest populous?

A

3rd

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9
Q

Is it highly or sparsely populated?

A

sparsely populated

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10
Q

What is Alaska’s population?

A

710,000

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11
Q

What is Alaska’s major city?

A

the City of Anchorage

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12
Q

What is Alaska’s household median income?

A

$73,000

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13
Q

For what does Alaska rank 7th highest among the American states?

A

for household median income

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14
Q

What other valuable minerals are found in Alaska?

A

silver, zinc and lead

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15
Q

What is a significant contributor to rural employment and economic prosperity?

A

employment in the mining industry

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16
Q

What is the value of the mining industry anually?

A

over $1bn annually and growing rapidly

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17
Q

What is driving growth in the mining sector and how?

A

technological advances help overcome physical environmental challenges

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18
Q

What is mining damaging to?

A

the environment

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19
Q

What toxic material can be used in mining?

A

arsenic

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20
Q

What can arsenic do and what does it impact?

A

pollute local water sources and impact fishing and indigenous people’s health

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21
Q

What does development come hand in hand with?

A

the building of infrastructure

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21
Q

What does open cast mining do?

A

leave huge scars on the natural environment

21
Q

What does open cast mining clear?

A

swathes of forest

21
Q

How must the roofs be designed?

A

steep to allow snow to slide off

21
Q

Example of initiative to limit development of mining?

A

‘No Dirty Gold’ which shut down Pebble Gold mine in 2013

22
Q

What happens when the top layer of permafrost thaws in the summer?

A

it destabilises foundations causing buildings to tilt and be damaged

23
Q

What also causes buildings to tilt?

A

the ‘urban heat island effect’ as the heat from the buildings causes the permafrost to melt

24
Q

How can the tilting of buildings be managed?

A

constructing buildings on raised columns that can lift the structures above the ground allowing them to expand and contract with the changing conditions

25
Q

How are domestic services such as freshwater and sanitation designed and why?

A

provided above ground to minimise the risk of freezing pipes cracking in case of water and thawing permafrost in case of heating

26
Q

What do the cold nutrient rich water provide?

A

excellent supply of fish stocks

27
Q

How much did the fishing industry bring in in 2017?

A

$12.8bn

28
Q

What is the challenge of fishing?

A

Commercial fishermen must endure:
-isolated fishing grounds
-high winds, seasonal darkness
-very cold waters
-long days at sea

29
Q

What attracts tourists to Alaska?

A

unique wilderness

30
Q

What environmental features does Alaska have?

A

mountains, glaciers, rivers and wildlife

31
Q

Example of a ski resort

A

Girdwood

32
Q

What is the amount of direct visitor spending?

A

$1.8 bn annually

33
Q

How do many people arrive to Alaska and what is the impact?

A

By air which creates a larger carbon footprint

34
Q

What does creating ski resorts often involve?

A

deforestation, pollution and waste generation

35
Q

What does proving all the facilities for tourism create?

A

the same issues with building infrastructure found in mineral extraction

36
Q

What percentage of taxes are created by the oil industry?

A

90%

37
Q

How many barrels does Prudhoe bay contain?

A

25 million

38
Q

What does its steep terrain and plentiful river make viable ?

A

Hydro electric power

39
Q

What percentage of energy is provided by 50 HEP plants?

A

20 %

40
Q

What type of region is Alaska?

A

tectonically active

41
Q

What type of plant is producing enough energy for 400 homes?

A

geothermal power plant

42
Q

What implications on climate change does the melting of permafrost have?

A

methane in released which is a green house gas that is 25x more powerful than CO2

43
Q

What is the challenge of repairing damaged foundations?

A

the extreme climate makes it difficult

44
Q

How low do temperatures get from Oct-Jan?

A

-30 degrees Celsisus

45
Q

What happened in 1989?

A

the Exxon-Valdez tanker ran into rocks

46
Q

What are oil fields in Alaska already in?

A

decline

47
Q

Where is oil exploration looking into?

A

protected areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve

48
Q

What is the US looking to improve?

A

energy security

49
Q

What might large oil companies start to put pressure on?

A

further exploitation in protected areas

GCSE Geography case studies (14 decks)

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