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GCSE Geography > Cood Environments > Flashcards

Cood Environments Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 3 cold environments case studies

A

Antarctica
Trans Alaskan pipeline
Svalbard

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2
Q

What is the Tundra climate like

A

Very cold
Varying levels of rainfall across year
Very high wind speeds due to absence of trees
In winter temperature can reach -50 degrees (there are distinct seasons between summer and winter)

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3
Q

3 reasons why cold environments are cold

A

Albedo effect
Tilt of Earth
Angle of incidence

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4
Q

3 layers of soil in cold environments

A

Active layer (top)
Permafrost (middle)
Talik (bottom)

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5
Q

3 stores of nutrient cycle (in Tundra)

A

Biomass
Litter
Soil

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6
Q

4 challenges plants face in tundra

A

No food or drink
Strong winds
Freezing temperatures
Darkness

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7
Q

One plant that has adapted to the Tundra environment

A

Bearberry plant

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8
Q

Adaptations of bearberry plant for Tundra

A

Stems= thick bark for stability in strong winds
Hairy stems retains heat and keeps pant safe in very low temperatures
Very low growing (5- 15cm off ground)= survives in strong winds
Bright red berries= eaten by birds and owls to help distribute seeds

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9
Q

4 opportunities of Svalbard

A

Extreme tourism
Scientific research
Fishing
Mineral extraction and energy

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10
Q

Name of sea south of Svalbard used for fishing

A

Barents Sea- 150 fish species found here

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11
Q

Number of fish species found in Barents Sea

A

150 (including haddock and herring)

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12
Q

How many students study at University of Svalbard and what courses

A

Over 350
Including geology

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13
Q

How many are employed in mining e.g coal in Svalbard

A

300 +

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14
Q

What is Svalbard’s main island

A

Spitsbergen

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15
Q

4 challenges of Svalbard

A

Infrastructure
Construction
Extreme temperatures
Accessibility

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16
Q

Why must pipes be overground in Svalbard

A

To stop their contents from freezing e.g when transporting water as the permafrost is very cold

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17
Q

What temperatures can Svalbard reach

A

-30 degrees

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18
Q

3 adaptations of polar bears

A

White fur- camouflage in snow and sneak on prey (arctic fox)
Huge paws (30cm in diameter) -distribute their weight and stop them sinking in snow
Thick layer of blubber (up to 10cm thick) - for insulation and warmth in freezing temperatures as well as food storage

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19
Q

5 terms of Antarctic Treaty

A

Mining banned until 2048
No territorial claims
Nuclear tests banned
Protect all plant and animal life
Share scientific research

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20
Q

What is the Trans- Alaskan Pipeline a case study of

A

How different strategies (technology) can be used to reduce the damage done to the cold environment whilst still exploiting oil

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21
Q

What year was the Antarctic Treaty introduced

A

1959

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22
Q

Svalbard’s location/ facts

A

Svalbard is a Norwegian territory located between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean. It is one of the most Northerly groups of islands in the world that’s inhabited and has a population of around 2,700.
Its main island (as it is a collection of islands), is called Spitsbergen and its capital is called Longyearbyen

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23
Q

3 cold environment biomes

A

Polar
Tundra
Alpine

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24
Q

Features of Trans Alaskan pipeline

A

Pump stations
Raised on supports
Teflon slippers
Insulation

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25
Why is the Trans Alaskan pipeline built on stilts 3m above ground
Prevents permafrost from melting Allows caribou to migrate underneath
26
Purpose of pump stations in Trans Alaskan pipeline
Heat and pressurise oil to move it over mountain ranges (Brooks and Alaskan Mountain Range) + 34 major river crossings
27
2 mountain ranges Trans- Alaskan pipeline passes over
Brooks Alaskan Mountain range
28
Why must the Trans Alaskan pipeline be insulated
Stop oil being transported from freezing and heat escaping and melting permafrost
29
Where are tundra environments located
Northern hemisphere around Arctic circle e.g Northern Canada, Greenland and Northern Russia
30
Describe the angle of incidence at the Poles
Sunlight strikes Earth at very narrow angle so light is dispersed over large area and not very concentrated like at the Equator so less energy is converted to heat per square kilometre making it colder
31
What is the active layer like
Top layer of soil Thaws in summer and freezes in winter 10cm-5m deep
32
Describe the permafrost layer
Permenantly frozen middle layer of tundra soil and is very tough like concrete so no plant roots can penetrate this layer Up to 1.5km deep
33
What is the thickest layer of tundra soil
Permafrost (permanently frozen middle layer)
34
Is the Talik (bottom layer of tundra soil) frozen or unfrozen
Unfrozen
35
What is the Talik like and why is it unfrozen
Mostly rock and thin bottom layer of tundra soil Unfrozen due to geothermal heating from mantle
36
Why is the active layer sometimes frozen but sometimes unfrozen
In summer it thaws due to warmer temperatures as there is a wide range in temperatures throughout the year, even though it is always very cold
37
What are wilderness areas
Unspoilt and remote regions of the world
38
Why are the world's wilderness areas becoming increasingly under pressure
Climate change is wiping out ecosystems The areas have been opened up to tourists and businesses e.g Antarctica
39
What resources are available in cold environments
Oil, gas, gold and other precious minerals Tourism e.g northern lights Fishing Valuable research
40
True or false, cold environments are fragile wilderness that have value and should be protected (even if they provide economic benefits like mining)
True
41
True or false, permafrost contains lots of methane
True If we damage the cold environment all the methane could be released having catastrophic environmental impacts
42
How low growing is the bear berry plant
5-15cm off the ground
43
Why does the bearberry plant have bright red seeds
So that they can be very visibly seen and eaten by birds and owls to help distribute the seeds
44
What do bearberry plant stems have to help them keep stable in the very strong winds
Thick bark
45
What is Svalbard's accessibility like and why is this a challenge
Very limited and hard to get to Only 50km of road in capital (Longyearbyen and 1 airport and access by boat is limited due to the sea being frozen over in winter)
46
What are polar bear' prey
Arctic fox (Has white fur to be able to camouflage in snow and sneak up on it)
47
How thick can polar bears' blubber be
Up to 10cm
48
2 Functions of blubber in polar bear
Warmth Food storage
49
Which ocean is Svalbard located in
Arctic ocean
50
How many pumping stations does the Trans Alaskan pipeline have
11
51
How high above the ground is the Trans Alaskan pipeline raised
3m (on stilts)
52
Why is the Trans Alaskan pipeline insulated
Allows oil to flow through pipeline and to stop the oil from freezing Prevents heat getting out and melting permafrost
53
Why is it important that the Trans Alaskan pipeline is flexible and can can slide
Stop it breaking in earthquake
54
Purpose of Teflon slippers in trans Alaskan pipeline
Allow it to move from side to side in zig zag pattern to prevent it from breaking in an earthquake
55
What faults does the Trans Alaskan pipeline lie on that puts it at risk of earthquakes
Denali fault
56
What are PIGS used for in Trans Alaskan pipeline
Cleaning it to reduce risk of oil spills and damage to environment
57
What temperature can it reach in Svalbard (challenge)
Below -30 degrees
58
Give examples of 5 tourist rules in Antarctica in order to protect the wilderness area
Only 100 tourists from cruise ships can land at a time Visitors mustn't take or leave anything behind Do not feed/ touch/ photograph wildlife in ways that could alter their behaviour Visitors must comply with the Treaty Tourism must be run through the IAATO (a group of tour operators that enforce the rules listed above)
59
Name of tour operators in Antarctica that ensure visitors help protect the area and wildlife
IAATO
60
Give an example of a conservation group helping to protect a cold environment from development
Greenpeace in Antarctica
61
2 achievements of Greenpeace in Antarctica
World Parks Antarctica (environmental campaign where Antarctica will be protected from exploitation e.g mining) The Ross Sea Marine protected area (important habitats for marine mammals e.g penguins and fish in Ross sea are protected e.g no fishing)
62
Why do Greenpeace want to protect natural environments like Antarctica from exploitation
Want to help protect the natural wildlife and ecosystems, especially with increasing threat of climate change
63
How many country signed the Antarctic Treaty
52
64
Purpose of Antarctic Treaty
Preserve fragile polar environment for science and peace
65
Where are the polar biomes located
North and south of Arctic circle
66
Where are the alpine biomes located
Dispersed along west coasts of north and South America Small cluster just North of Tropic of Cancer in East Asia (Himalayas)
67
How do Arctic Tribes use reindeer to live
Use fur to make warm clothing to deal with extreme freezing temperatures and prevent frostbite Also eat reindeer meat and use coldness as freezer to help preserve it Use reindeer to help them travel e.g to move their house
68
3 features of an Arctic survival outfit/ kit
Thick hat made from wool to insulate head and prevent frostbite Polar bear deterrent- polar bears are very dangerous and a serious threat so this scared them away Polarised sunglasses- protect your eyes from albedo effect to prevent snow blindness
69
3 cold environment biomes
Tundra Polar Alpine
70
Due to white surfaces up to what % of light is reflected back to space
90%
71
What is Greenpeace
A group of key organisations campaigning to help protect and defence teh natural world and environment against human activity
72
What is greenpeace
NGO Group of organisations who campaign for protection of environment against human activity
73
What is greenpeace
NGO Group of organisations who campaign for protection of environment against human activity
74
Example of conservation group helping to protect a cold environment from development
Greenpeace- NGO who campaign to protect natural environments from exploitation including Antarctica
75
What is Antarctic treaty a case study of
International agreement and conservation groups helping to protect Antarctica from exploitation and to preserve the fragile polar environment for science and peace
76
What temperature can it reach in the tundra
-50 degrees
77
What temperature can the polar biome reach
-90 degrees
78
Why are cold environments fragile
Plants and animals have highly adapted to the harsh climate and physical characteristics (e.g plants not being able to penetrate through the soil) therefore any changes or disruption can imbalance ecosystems taking them years to recover (if they are able to recover at all) Plants take a long time to decompose and grow back very slowly due to a lack of nutrients making the nutrient cycle very slow Species are extremely dependent on each other due to a lack of biodiversity so if just one species dies this can be catastrophic for the whole ecosystem e.g krill are under threat in Antarctica and form the base of most ecosystems meaning penguins are having to migrate to other areas
79
One affect of reducing number of krill in Antarctica
Penguins are having to migrate to other areas to find food so then there is more competition for food meaning less penguins survive
80
Why can't oil be transported across Alaska by ships
Sea ice in winter (sea freezes) obstructs ships so they can't get through
81
Why can't oil be transported across Alaska by ships
Sea ice in winter (sea freezes) obstructs ships so they can't get through
82
Why can't oil be transported across Alaska by ships
Sea ice in winter (sea freezes) obstructs ships so they can't get through

GCSE Geography (11 decks)

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