Extreme Environments

2 Poles
1. 2 polar regions
  1. Arctic
    1. north of arctic circle
    2. some ice sheet covered areas
      1. e.g. Greenland
    3. 8 countries
      1. Canada
      2. Sweeden
    4. home to Inuits
  2. Antarctic
    1. south of antarctic circle
    2. sourrunded by ocean
    3. vast ice sheets
    4. governed by Antarctic Treaty
    5. no people
  3. intense cold
  4. few people
  5. Polar night
    1. sun doesn't rise in mid winter
    2. in winter earth's axis are titled away from the sun
  6. midnight sun
    1. sun does not set at all in mid summer
    2. in summer the earth's axis are tilted towards the sun
  7. low precipitation
    1. usually falls as snow
      1. causes high pressure
        leading to lack of precipitation
Living in the cold
1. Flora and Fauna
  1. Flora
    1. Boreal(coniferous) forests
      1. adaptations:
        shallow roots to avoid permafrost
        cone shape helps to shed snow
        thin at top
        bends in strong winds
        evergreesn
        photosynthesis can start early in the growing season
        small (needle) leaves limit water loss
    2. tundra vegetation
      1. adaptations:
        Cushion shape traps warm air in the centre
        flowers can turn to follow the sun
        Low to ground to keep out cold wind
    3. vulnerable to global Warming
      1. Warmer temperatures alter
        flowering times
        migrations
        hibernations
  2. Fauna
    1. adaptations:
      1. Migrating into the region in spring
        but leaving before winter
      2. thick, white fur
        camouflage in snow
      3. Dens dug into snow or caves
        digging into permafrost is impossible
      4. thick blubber
        acts as insulation
2. indigenous groups
  1. people who live traditionally
3. face difficulties
  1. extreme cold
    1. for months on end
  2. Darkness and isolation in winter
  3. permafrost
4. unique cultures
  1. Inuits
    1. knowledge of arctic animals and environment
      1. know first if environment is changing
  2. Nenets
    1. Northern Russia
    2. animist religion
      1. believe everything has a souls and spirits
        people
        plants
        rocks
        animals
        great respect for natural environment
        we can learn from
  3. Aleut
    1. Alaska and Russia
    2. skilled in using every part of a seal and whale
      1. even use bones
        for making needles and weapons
5. Adaptations
  1. Building styles
    1. Built on gravel pad
      1. so heat from house doesn't melt permafrost
    2. Water, sewage and power utilidor box is above ground
      1. easier access for repair
        permafrost is not melted
    3. Triple glazing
      1. to keep heat in
        and cold out
    4. thick insulation
      1. to keep heat in
        and cold out
    5. Slopping roofs to shed heavy snow
    6. traditionally igloos or temporary houses
  2. Clothing
    1. Traditional Inuit clothing
      1. made from animal skins
        sewn together with sinew
    2. modern insulating clothing has replaced this
    3. gloves, hats and multiple layers are essential
      1. to prevent hypothermia
  3. Transport
    1. drivind is easier in winter
      1. ground is solid
      2. harder in summer
        ground is boggy and unstable
    2. skis, traditional dog-sleds and snowmobiles are traditionally used
    3. frozen lakes
      1. become 'ice roads' in winter
        allow goods to be transported on trucks
  4. energy use
    1. Oil and Gas
      1. main resources
    2. solar and Hydroelectric
      1. don't suit
    3. high demand for heating and transport
  5. Farming
    1. arable framing isn't possible
    2. Among Sami people
      1. reindeer herding is traditional
  6. Food
    1. Inuit diet
      1. 50% fat
      2. 40% protein
      3. includes:
        whale
        polar bear
        seal
        caribou
        berries
        seaweed
    2. Now, most has to be imported
      1. it's expensive
Desert
1. Australia
  1. Due to
    1. warm, moist pacific winds blow on shore
      1. is caused to rise an cool rapidly
        causing condensation
        clouds from
        rains on peaks
        mountains that border the coast
        The Great Dividing Range
        air that descends from the mountains
        is drier
        rain shaddow
        no rain gets behind them
        to the west
Living in the desert
1. Flora
  1. 3 ways they have adapted
    1. Succulence
      1. store water in
        'fleshy leaves
        stems
        roots
      2. desert rains are infrequent
        light and short
        water evaporates quickly
        water must be captured and stroed
      3. adaptations
        quickly aborb large amounts of water
        through extensive shallow roots
        can store water for long periods
        stems and leaves have waxy cuticles
        leaves almost waterproof
        when stomata closes
        during drought
        metabolism slowes
        stomata remains closed
        camouflage
        attractive to thirsty animals
    2. Drought tolerance
      1. shed leaves
        preventing water loss
        through transpiration
        become dormant
      2. extensive deep roots
        penetrate soil and rock to access underground water
      3. photosynthesise with low leaf moisture
    3. Drought avoidance
      1. most
        survive one season
        have a rapid life cycle
        die after seeding
      2. seeds last for years
        only germinate when moisture is high
      3. only germinate in autumn
        after rain
        before winter
2. Fauna
  1. have to adapt to survive
  2. The Bilby
    1. small marsupial
    2. adaptations
      1. nocturnal
        shelters in daytime to avoid dehydration
      2. burrows for
        moisture and cool conditions
      3. low moisture needs
        gets most from food
  3. The perentie
    1. giant lizard
    2. adaptations
      1. digs burrows
        hides in rock crevices
        to escape heat
      2. hibernates from may to August
        to avoid cold
      3. low moisture needs
  4. The red kangaroo
    1. adaptations
      1. hopping to find food
      2. feeds at dawn and dusk
        when air is cooler
        sleeps during day
      3. dew is important part of water intake
      4. in females
        rain triggers hormone response
        only reproduce when water levels are high
    2. largest marsupial
3. Adaptations
  1. Buliding
    1. traditional houses
      1. thick walls
        keep summer heat out
        winter warmth in
      2. flat roofs
        sleeping area when it's too hot
    2. underground to keep cool
    3. verandas keep sun off windows and walls
  2. energy use
    1. modern buliding
      1. have air conditioning
      2. solar panels
      3. wind turbines
  3. Transport
    1. traditionally used camels
    2. 4x4 get stuck in sand
    3. light air craft and trains
      1. more reliable
  4. clothing
    1. traditionally
      1. head to foot
      2. loose
        reduces water loss by sweating
      3. light coloured
        reflects sun's heat
      4. head coverings
        prevents sunburn
        keep head cool
        keeps dust out
  5. Water Supplies
    1. Most farms have dams and reservoirs
      1. to store water
        that cattle and sheep can drink
    2. boeholes
      1. to tap into underground artesian water
        rain soaks into desert soils and percolates into the bed rock
        gradually water collects
        if you drill a hole it comes up
        using a windpump
        under natural pressure
    3. fragile methods
      1. sustainable?
        droughts have put pressure on landscape
        animals still graze but dies
        as the roots die nothing binds the soil together
        so it's eroded by windstorms
        underground water is being over used
        beyond natural rainfall that recharges
        water tables are falling
Values of Desert Culture
1. Aboriginal culture
  1. people usually remain hidden
  2. Healthy Eating
    1. varies depending on location
    2. fruits
      1. bush tomatoes
        used for chutney
      2. desert limes
        strong citrus flavour
        used in jams and sauces
      3. Quandongs
        red berries
        high vitamin C
      4. Bush Bananas
    3. Seeds
      1. Wattle seeds
      2. used in
        bisuits
        dressings
      3. sandalwood nuts are
    4. Grubs
      1. the larvae of moths and beetles
        eaten raw or cooked
    5. Meats
      1. traditional wild animals
        kangaroo
  3. beliefs
    1. land is sacred
      1. should be protected
    2. live with few posessions
      1. waste nothing
    3. conserve water, firewood and other scarce resources
    4. knowledge of medical properties of plants
    5. understand impact of climate change
      1. before everyone else
  4. lifestyle
    1. traditionally survived by hunting and gathering
      1. Used fire to drive out animals for hunting and clearing land
        to grow grass
        fire tolerant plants now dominate the landscape
        e.g. eucalyptus
        some seeds need fire to germinate
    2. aboriginal crafts
      1. for hunting
        boomerang
      2. music
        didgeridoo
    3. customs and stories were spoken not written down
    4. cultures dissappearing
      1. younger generations are moving to cities
    5. deep knowledge of medicines etc
Threats to the indigenous
1. Tourism
  1. Popular to tourists
    1. Ayres rock
      1. Uluru
        sacred to the aboriginis
        tourists are asked to not climb it
        site educates about culture
    2. Arctic tourist watch whales and glaciers
  2. Fragile
    1. only cope with small numberd
    2. Aboriginal paintings could be destroyed in Uluru
    3. Plants can be trampled
      1. disrupting wildlife and breeding
    4. traditional cultures have previously had limited contact
  3. Cultural dilution
    1. indigenous put on a 'show' for tourists
      1. over time beliefs and values might be lost
    2. Aborigini's are Australia's worst drug and alcohol abuse
    3. aboriginals have a big problem with homelessness
2. Resources and Pollution
  1. extreme environments are often exploited for resources
    1. super pit gold mine in Kalgoorlie, australia
    2. oil and gas extraction in Alaska
    3. mining and drilling provides jobs
    4. mining and drilling has environmental risks
      1. mine waste spoils landscape
      2. mining uses lots of water
        this can be limited in arid regions
      3. oil leaks causes environmental damage
3. decreasing population
  1. limited economic opportunities
    1. forces people to move away
  2. lots of young people moving to cities and towns
    1. attracted by jobs and education
Climate Change
1. effects are most obvious in extreme environments
  1. arctic is warming faster than anywhere else
  2. people living there only produce 5% of CO2 emissions
2. Only option is to adapt
3. In hot, arid regions...
  1. like the Sahel
  2. farmers are using intermeadiate technology
    1. e.g. diguettes
    2. and conservation farming methods
      1. to help trap moisture in the soil
      2. and to prevent soil erosion and drought
      3. includes:
        multi-cropping
        alternative to single crop farming
        where:
        you have to plough all the land
        moisture easily evaporates from all the land
        one crop is planted
        harvesting is done all at once
        if the crop fails all income is lost
        lead to starvation
        reduces risk of crop failure
        helps to increase crop yield
        planting different crops on 1 area of land
        where
        plough only were you plant crops
        moisture only evaportaes from parts that have been dug
        several crop plants are mixed together
        if one crop fails you have back up
        multi-cropping
        harvesting is done the whole year
4. Global agreement
  1. to slow down climate change
    1. by cutting greenhouse gas emissions
  2. Kyoto Summit
    1. 1997
    2. to cut greenhouse gas emissions
      1. by 5.3%
        by 2012
    3. not very sucessful
      1. ts of countries didn't reach targets
      2. if countries had met targets
        it would only have reduced temperatures by 0.1oC
  3. 2009- Copenhagen
    1. They agreed
      1. climate change was a major challenge
        should be limited to 2oC
    2. no targets set
      1. so many countries set their own
Burkina Faso
1. in the Sahel
  1. southern edge of Sahara
  2. varying rainfall
    1. relies on monsoon season for rain
    2. major cause of poverty
      1. if no rain
        grass dies exposing soil to wind erosion
      2. when rains comes
        it's heavy
        erode and wash away soil
  3. semi- arid area
  4. land can easily be degraded
    1. by desrtification
      1. deserts are spreading over farmland
    2. population has grown
      1. farmers have grazed too many animals
        expossing soil to erosion
        during rainy season
    3. forest scrub has been cut down for fuel
    4. boreholes and wells have been dug
      1. to access groundwater
        to water crops
        water evaporates quickly
        leaving salt deposities
        that poison soil
    5. barren, dry soil is vulnerable to wind erosion
2. Siguin Vousse
  1. affected by drought and desertification
  2. small village
  3. over use of land has left villagers
    1. unable o grow food to feed themselves
  4. trees and grass were cleared for farming
    1. when it does rain top soil is washed away
  5. Oxfam Project
    1. farmers encouraged to
      1. bulid diguettes
        intermediate technology
        form barriers to erosion
        line of stones
        laid along contours of gently sloping farmland
        slows down flow of rainwater
        giving it time to soak into the ground
        trap soil
        builds behind stones
        so reduces soil erosion
        Success!
        increased crop yields
        farmers can feed themselves
        same is being done in other villages
3. Oxfam started 'Argo-Forestier'
  1. aimed to
    1. prevent further soil erosion
    2. preserve as much rainfall as possible
  2. 1979

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