Cold Environments
COLD ENVIRONMENTS: ESSAY 1 a) Outline the main features of Koppen's ET and EF climate types. ET and EF climates occur almost everywhere in high latitudes, those North and South of 60°. There are three main features of these climate types: Coldness, low precipitation totals and wind chill, yet these features differ between the ET and EF climates themselves. These differences in climate features vary according to latitude, altitude and position relative to the sea. For example EF climates occur in higher altitudes and latitudes or areas in land, for example Central Greenland and most of Antarctica. In EF (or ice cap) climate regions a main feature is that average monthly temperatures will remain below freezing all year, for example in Eismitte, Central Greenland, climate data shows that temperature recordings do not rise above -12°C even in July. This data differs to that from regions with ET (or tundra) climates. Despite coldness/low temperatures still being a main feature of these climates, average monthly temperature readings do generally rise above freezing during some months of the year. Information from Ruskoye Ust'ye in the continental location of North-eastern Russia shows that in the months June - August average temperatures were above freezing. In August it rose as high as 9°C despite average temperatures dipping as low as -39°C in January. In more maritime
To what extent are cold environments fragile environments and how far does this affect their development?
To what extent are cold environments fragile environments and how far does this affect their development? Cold environments such as Western Antarctica (including peninsula) and Arctic tundra are extremely fragile, mainly due to the low temperatures severely limiting vegetation growth and thus any development will destroy the natural environment. Although this fragility of the environment has not deterred development despite the difficulty and cost of developing cold environments, this is due to human's inability to look to the long-term effects of their actions. Arctic tundra is described as a fragile environment as plant growth of mosses and lichens is restrict to only 2mm per year due to low temperatures only allowing growth to occur in the 3 summer months where temperatures reach 10 degrees centigrade. If growth of predominantly mosses and lichens is so limited then anything that touches the vegetation may undo thousands of years of growth, this should in theory deter development as it destroys the natural landscape and habitats for animals. The fragility of Alaskan tundra has not stopped development at all, the extraction of oil has occurred since 1974. The extraction of oil from the North Slope oilfield is extremely dangerous and not sustainable for the Alaskan environment. The "Exxon Valdez" sunk spilling tones of raw oil into the Gulf of Alaska, this destroyed
To what extent are cold environments fragile environments and how far does this affect their development?
To what extent are cold environments fragile environments and how far does this affect their development? Cold environments are argued to be very fragile; however some are more fragile than others. The area corresponds to the Polar Regions, Antarctica and the alpine environments. The Polar Regions include the tundra biome, the ice cap regions and the surrounding areas such as Alaska Canada and Scandinavia. Antarctica includes the southern ocean and the alpine environments are those that lie above the tree lines in temperate areas such as the Alps in Europe and parts of the Himalayas. In these areas there are three climate characteristics: Tundra, Polar and temperate montane. Tundra refers to treeless ecosystems where winters are long and cold, and summers are short and cool. Those conditions are found both in the higher latitudes (northern and southern), and also on certain mountains. High-latitude tundra is called arctic tundra or lowland tundra, and high-altitude tundra is called alpine tundra. Tundra is a very fragile biome, as the vegetation (a very important part of the biome) is very fragile. The growing season is very short due to climatic conditions, of about 50-60 days each year this therefore means that it takes a long time for plants that have been disrupted to regenerate, and some scientists reckon that it will take over 50 years for this to happen fully. The
Can sustainable development be achieved in cold environments? Discuss.
'Cold environments may be developed in a sustainable manner' To what extent do you agree with this statement? According to the Brundtland Commission sustainable development is 'development which can be sustained in the long term. It is the utilization and development of natural resources in ways which are compatible with the maintenance of these resources, and with the conservation of the environment, for future generations.' The Arctic is not just an environment, it is home to almost four million people, including more than numerous different groups of indigenous peoples. Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes with a local climate in which at least one month has an average temperature high enough to melt snow (0°C or 32°F), but no month with an average temperature in excess of (10°C/50°F).. It is noted for its frost-moulded landscapes, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Most of its stored energy is in the form of dead organic matter (meaning it has a small biomass compared to other biomes). Furthermore, because of its harsh climate, there are large population oscillations, because of constant immigration and emigration. This is why any type of development in these environments can create world wide dispute between developers and environmentalists. Some believe that sustainable development can happen without any economic, social or
What are the opportunities and constraints of living in and exploiting, cold environments?
What are the opportunities and constraints of living in and exploiting, cold environments? Cold environments provide only minimal opportunities for its inhabitants, offering them little else other than the ability to live sustainably off the land through the herding of Caribou/Reindeer. Now, even this is being threatened as the modern world brings new constraints to cold environments, such as the melting of sea ice destroying hunting grounds and the extraction of oil at places like Tar Sands destroying the lands of indigenous people. As well as this, in Greenland the inability of young people to live a comfortable and interesting life has led to Greenland having the highest suicide rate in the world. On the other hand, cold environments provide plenty of opportunities for exploitation, chiefly due to their vast oil, gas and metal reserves and tourism opportunities like ecotourism at the poles or skiing in the Alps. However, there are also constraints on the level at which cold environments can be exploited, due to agreements about conserving the natural environment, which is already melting. In the Arctic, the environment provides the indigenous people with almost everything they need to survive. For example, in Siberia the Nenets use the Reindeer to survive. Reindeers are used for transport, their furs are used for shelter and clothing and all of their edible meat is
Biology research - how animals area adapted to cold environments.
Khadeja Wodud 10Q Surviving the cold If an animal or plant is to survive it must be able to fit in with the environmental conditions which occur in its habitat. This fitting in is called adaptation. Every living thing is adapted to enable it to cope with a particular habitat’s environmental factors such as the air, water, soil, light and temperature. Polar bears and penguins never bump into each other. This because polar bears live only in the Arctic (the North Pole) and many species of penguins is found only in the Antarctic (the South Pole). Both animals are highly adapted for living in the coldest places in the world. It is vital for a mammal, being a ‘warm-blooded’ vertebrate, to keep warm in order to maintain its body at a constant temperature. If it cannot do this it will die. The Arctic is the coldest place inhabited by land mammals and these have very thick fur, which insulates the body by trapping air. They also have a layer of stored fat under the skin which gives additional insulation. Like many Arctic mammals, the polar bear has white fur made of hollow hairs, which traps and warms air. The polar bear has wide, large paws help them to walk in the snow. Ultra-violet light is funnelled from the sun down the hairs to the bear’s black skin, changing it into warmth. The dense undercoat is covered with an outer coat of long guard hairs. These help to keep the
Cold environments may be developed in a sustainable manner. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Cold environments may be developed in a sustainable manner. To what extent do you agree with this statement? I disagree with this statement more than I agree with it. Cold environments in the world that were previously wilderness areas have undergone development, and nearly all of them have proved to be unsustainable. In the alpine areas, the mountains are a major magnet because of the scenery and the wide variety of winter sports that can take place there. The Alps have been developed as a tourist area. Although tourism benefits the area economically, it is socially and environmentally unsustainable. Tradition and culture has been eroded away because many young people now go down the mountains into urban areas in search of jobs. Even though the tourist industry has encouraged many young farmers to diversify out of rural and primary activities, many people still leave. Aside from that, the tourist industry brings with it unwanted pollution and litter and also causes footpath erosion. The tourist industry is also a potential hazard to the mountains and villages because the winter sports activities taking place there may cause avalanches. In the tundra or arctic regions, development has not been sustainable either, also both environmentally and socially. Gold, and particularly oil exploration and exploitation have scarred the fragile landscape. In 1968, the Trans-Alaskan
To what extent should cold environments to be considered as fragile? How far does this affect their development?
To what extent should cold environments to be considered as fragile? How far does this affect their development?????????????????????????? A fragile environment is a biome that is under threat from change, damage or unsustainable use. Most impacts will be long-lasting due to the inability of the area to recover easily due to extreme cold because things never decompose nor grow quickly. There is no denying whether or not cold environments are vulnerable to interference. The slow rate if of plant growth means that any disruption takes 50 years to correct. There is also low productivity because Bacterial activity is low due to cold temperatures and waterlogged conditions, stopping the recycling of nutrients and decomposition. Drainage is poor due to frozen ground, especially in permafrost zones. Although active layer thaws in summer, sub soil remains frozen. Soil contains angular fragments as a result of freeze thaw and frost heave. Plants therefore have to adapt to meet the needs of these challenges. The food chain is very short, and species have to also adapt to the harsh conditions, meaning the populations are low. It is very fragile as any interference to a certain species will wipe out many others in the food chain. However whether they be exploited successfully is the key question. For the reasons above it is crucial that the development of these areas is managed
Comparing Three Rural Environments
Comparing Three Rural Environments There are many different types of rural environments across the world. In many rural areas its easy to distinguish those that are very remote with those that are only partially rural and in some it's not so easy. Therefore, it's evident that many rural environments differ and for a number of reasons. To look further into the subject we are comparing three rural areas in very different locations. These are Dani Village in Indonesia, Lynford House Farm in Cambridgeshire, England and the Swiss Alps. We will compare how the economic factors, accessibility, physical landscape and culture of the three environments contrast and differ. Firstly, looking at the economic factors of why the three areas are different we find that both the Swiss Alps and Cambridgeshire are in MEDCs, whereas Indonesia is a LEDC. This effects how the areas are different greatly as the more financially stable countries will be more urbanised and developed compared to the rural areas in LEDCs. All three of the rural areas are used for farming but each has it's own way of farming: * Dani is mostly made up of subsistence farms, farms that produce just enough food to live on and to sell small amounts. Fields are worked by hand and is how the villagers earn a living. Rarely would there be very many animals but a few animals used for their produce and meat would be found in the
Positive environments
BTEC National Children's Care, Learning and Development Unit 2: Positive environments for children's care, learning and development Assignment 2 In my assignment I am going to describe procedures for risk assessment and hygiene control in a childcare setting. A risk assessment is identifying a hazard which may cause harm and putting in rules and regulations so that the risk may be minimized. A risk assessment is very important in a childcare setting as it makes the setting safe for children, staff and parents. An example of this may be: Hazard Risk Control measures Who will do this? When will it be done? Front door is sometimes left open Children might run out the door onto the main road and have an accident Key pad system on the door and a high door handle Designated person ASAP When doing a risk assessment, 5 steps are followed: . Identify the hazards. If you walk around the care setting looking for the hazards, this may be really helpful. Also asking your employees if they have noticed anything that may cause harm. 2. Decide who might be harmed. Children, staff, parents, cleaners and visitors. 3. You must evaluate the risks. When you have noticed all the hazards you should then think 'what can I do to minimise the risk of an accident happening?' If a door is left open, and it cannot be locked, then get someone to stand at it, like a guard, also
