Download
1 / 23
230 likes | 405 Vues
Extreme Climates Revision. Climates of Extreme Areas. Climate Graph D. Climate Graph C. Polar Adaptations. People in extreme environments – polar. Greenland. Eat narwhal skin as a source of vitamin C (can’t grow crops)
E N D
Climates of Extreme Areas Climate Graph D Climate Graph C
Greenland • Eat narwhal skin as a source of vitamin C (can’t grow crops) • Build houses on stilts so permafrost doesn’t melt (causing ground to subside) • Triple glazed windows in their houses • Steep roofs that let snow fall off and bright coloured houses so they can be easily seen • Travel on husky sleighs (and take their houses with them) • Harvest muscles under sea ice during equinox (when tide is low) • Feed Greenland shark to their huskies • Traditional methods – ice fishing and spear fishing in kayaks • Seal and caribou skins used for clothing (Gore-Tex is also used) • Huskies are their legacy to their children • Igloos
Threats to polar The Effect of Climate Change on Permafrost Permafrost is soil that has been frozen year round for at least two years. The upper layer of permafrost, or the active layer, sometimes thaws in the summer. Recently, the active layer of permafrost has been observed to be getting larger with time, which means more permafrost is melting each summer. Climate change is expected to significantly affect above and below-ground climate. In Alaska, houses and buildings lean at odd angles. Some slump as if sliding downhill. Windows and doors inch closer and closer to the ground. In Canada, a combination of warmer temperatures and sunny days has triggered an increasing frequency of landslides Flooding has occurred in large areas
Management of polar areas The geothermal heat is mostly used to heat fresh water which, when hot, can be utilized directly for central heating. 89% of all the houses in Iceland are heated this way. But the geothermal water is also used in many other ways. It is used in swimming pools, for soil warming, fish farming, drying of timber and wool, animal husbandry etc. Over most of the polar bear range, hunting is now governed by a quota system designed to keep the kill within the bounds that populations can support. Each village gets a number of tags allowing hunters residing there to take the number of bears the population can sustain.
Extreme Climates An extreme climate is a place with extreme rainfall or temperature conditions that limit fauna numbers and flora growth LIST PLANTS AND ANIMALS PLANTS (Flora) Cacti, prickly pears, desert holly, brittlebush. Mainly shrubs and flowers. No trees live in the desert. ANIMALS (Fauna) Camels, wolves, kangaroo, lizards, jack rabbit, snakes, spiders, desert toads, ostrich, vultures, roadrunner, meerkats, scorpions... ANIMAL ADAPTATION CASE STUDY The Red Kangaroo (Australia) Nocturnal – avoids the heat of the day Drinks dew from cacti for water Hopping – A fast and energy efficient way to cross the desert Rainfall – triggers hormones in females so breeding only occurs in rainy season. Where are deserts and drylands located? FACTFILE What is the hottest place on earth? What is the biggest desert? What is the driest place? Hottest temp ever recorded: Libya 58°C. Deserts are generally found between 15-35 degrees latitude (N and S of the equator), however the largest cold desert is Antarctica, which is found at the South Pole. Deserts and drylands are found in all continents of the world. Sahara: 9 million km2. Covers 12 countries. PLANT ADAPTATION CASE STUDY Barrel Cactus (North America) Light colour – reflect sunlight Prickly spines – protect against animals and reduce evapotranspiration Large stem – stores water Atacama Desert, Chile. Average rainfall: 1mm/year.
HUMAN SURVIVAL Explain how people have developed different ways of surviving in the desert.
Uniqueness of culture – Hot Arid When women and children from the Tubu tribe of Niger set off across the desert for market, they know that the walk will take them eight days in temperatures that can exceed 45C. They also know that the only way to survive is by remembering the location of a single well along the way, their only lifeline in a sea of emptiness. Relying on the navigational skills passed down by their mothers, the women must take their bearings from the stars and read the shapes of the sand dunes. But take one wrong turn in these ever-shifting sands and death may be just around the corner. Chileans of the Atacama Desert have learned to wait for it to come to them. As the wind blows across the Pacific, it draws up water from the sea until it becomes a thick fog. When the fog then hits the desert coastline it is trapped by lichen on cacti and condenses into water that is drunk by the local animals. Inspired by this, local people now set down huge nets that line the hills and trap the fog as it rolls across the desert. As the fog condenses, the precious liquid runs through pipes that lead down to the grateful villages below. As usual, Mother Nature has all the best tricks.
The Aboriginal people had a healthy diet and lifestyle. • Depending on what area of Australia the Aboriginal groups lived their diet varied, desert groups lived on native plants and animals. Today, the ‘native food’ industry is growing by using the skills and knowledge of the Aboriginies. a. Suggest ways that the Aboriginal people adapted to their extreme environment. b. Examine they ways in which the Aboriginal hunter gatherer lifestyle is sustainable (or not).
The graph above shows the yearly variation from average rainfall in the Sahel. Is the situation getting better or worse? How will culture be affected by decreasing rainfall in the Sahel? If these people can’t stay in the Sahel, where will they go? The dry season leaves these pools full of fish, but if it gets warmer, will there be any fish? How could climate change threaten people and natural systems of the Sahel? The Tubu women already travel for days to get to market – keep to their tribe’s survival – and the only way they can get there is by making a stop at one isolated water hole. How will climate change affect them? The dried up desert below is in Texas, but is Lake Banzena, where human’s race elephants for water, next? Think about the PHYSICAL EFFECTS of climate change and then the HUMAN EFFECTS of these...
Managing Hot Arid • Diguettes in Burkina Faso • - A diguette is a line of stones, laid along the natural contours of the farmland. • The small walls slow the flow of the rainwater, giving it a chance to soak into the ground. • They also trap soil limiting soil degradation at the same time. • Over 400 villages in Burkina Faso use diguettes as they are proven to improve crop yields. • What evidence exists that the Sahel will be affected by climate change? • 70% of Africa’s population rely on farming; climate change is expected to reduce crop yields by at least 10%. • Food emergencies in Africa have tripled in the last 20 years. • Increased drought could lead to a humanitarian disaster. • Kyoto Protocol, 1997 • International agreement setting targets for industrialised nations to cut their carbon emissions • Based on framework drawn up in 1992, agreed in 1997 and finally made legally binding in 2005. GLOBAL
Extreme Exam Questions! Good luck surviving these extreme exam questions!
Extreme Exam Questions! Self assess your answers
