Extreme Environments- Polar

Extreme Environments- Polar

1. Human Survival in Polar Environments

   • Buildings
     • Triple Glazing and Insulation help people to survive because they keep the heat in and the cold out. They have pitched roofs to shed heavy snow. The houses are built on stilts so that the cold air can circulate and it prevents permafrost from melting
   • Clothing
     • Loose-Fitting, Light Colours, Headscarves help protect them against Frost-Bite and Hypothermia
   • Transport
     • Ski's, Traditional dog-sleds and modern snowmobiles are often used because in summer it is boggy and unstable.
   • Energy Use
     • Oil and Gas are the main energy sources because renewable energy such as solar and hydro-electric power is unsuited for polar regions

2. How are Animals and Plants adapated to Polar Environments?

   • Arctic Foxes
     • They have round, compact bodies that minimize surface area that is exposed to cold air and their muzzle, ears and legs are short which conserves heat. Their paws have fur on them for insulation and this helps them to walk on the ice. They have white fur to camoflague in the snow.
   • Penguins
     • They have webbed feet for powerful swimming. Their bodies are streamlined to reduce the drag in the water. They have very thick skin and a lot of fat called blubber, under their skin to keep them warm in the cold weather.
   • Pine Trees
     • They have very long needle like leaves. They have the ability to shed snow easily during the winter season. There thin, waxy needles (called Cutin) reduce water loss so they do not go without water. Some liquids move through the empty spaces in the tree and freeze on the outside to insulate inner cells.
   • Moss
     • Grows in wet places and in places there is not much soil, so they can survive without a lot of soil in the snow. They also grow on rocks and near the ground. They have no roots and they don't need as much singlight to grow so it can survive during the winter seasons.

3. How can lcocal actions help Polar people?

   • Niaqornat, Greenland
     • Problems/Threats
       • No internet Cafe's or Hotels. Not enough customers in the shop. Prices are rising for things. Supplies for only half the year
       • Have to leave your home to get a good job. Population is decreasing. People are moving away.
       • Lack of Sanitation. Lack of jobs as most people were employed in the fish factory-Out migration. Hunting and Fishing not very profitable
     • Solutions
       • They now own 5 fish factories. Re-opened the fish factory with an investor as a co-operative to sell dried fish and seal. More families have returned, Young people have been trained for jobs
       • Tourism- Sell fur, meat, fish. Pay for supplies. Creates awareness of their problems

4. Characteristsics

   • WInters are very cold (down to -50 degrees) with few or no hours of light
   • Cold because of the high latitudes. the further north the more extreme the cold
   • Dry with less than 300mm of precipitation per year falling mostly as snow
   • Summers are short with many hours of light; this is the growing season in the tundra
   • The coldest glacial regions support no life at all

5. Climate Change

   • Warmer Summers
     • Changes in seas ice cover. Glacier retreat.
       • Impacts on the people
     • Permafrost melting. Species migration.
       • Impacts on the People
   • Sea level rises
     • Coastal flooding. Erosion.
       • Impacts on the people
     • Ecosystem changes.
       • Impacts on the People
         • Life more uncertain
           • People likely to leave.
         • Coastal towns and industries threatened