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Geography
Cold environments
Svalbard
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Cards (13)
Svalbard's
location:
In the
Northern hemisphere
A part of
Norweigan territory
Made up of
5 islands
(called an archipeligo)
Most northernly permanently inhabited place on earth
Opportunities for
development
in Svalbard:
Mineral extraction
- coal mining is vital to the Svalbard economy, but prices are dropping.
Energy development
- Svalbard is on a plate boundary where the crust is thin & the magma is close.
Fishing
- the Barents Sea has over 150 species of fish, the sea is jointly controlled to ensure sustainability.
Tourism
- it can provide around 300 jobs for local people, & there are a variety of things to do.
Tourists
would visit Svalbard for:
Polar bear wathving
Fjord watching
The Northern Lights
Glaciers
Hiking/kayaking
Skiing/snow mobiles
Main
challenges
to
development
in Svalbard:
Darkness
Cold weather
Roads
Permafrost
Challenges
in Svalbard,
Darkness
:
Darkness
from
25th
of
October
to
8th
of
March
Challenges
in Svalbard,
permafrost
:
Melting permafrost
(frozen soil) can cause buildings to tip & fall
Outdoor work is slow
, difficult & can lead to frost bite
Construction work
is difficult & cannot happen in winter
Challenges
in Svalbard,
cold weather
:
Winter temps of
-30
degrees
Outdoor work is
slow
,
difficult
& can lead to
frost bite
Construction work is
difficult
& cannot happen in
winter
Building & maintaining
roads
is difficult due to
freezing cracking
Difficult to provide
reliable essential services
, e.g.
water
&
elec
Challenges
in Svalbard,
roads
/
access
:
Poor transport links
make places
inaccessible
Gravel roads
are only suitable for
dogs
&
sleds
, rather than
cars
Difficult to provide
reliable essential services
, e.g.
water
&
elec
Opportunities
:
Mineral extraction
- supports the economy & provides
employment
Richest fishing grounds
in the world
Energy development
-
geothermal energy
Tourism
- provides
employment
& supports the
economy
Challenges
:
Restricted accessibility
Extreme temps
Construction of roads
-
damage
due to
cold environment
Construction of buildings
to
support economic development
-
destruction
to
local habitats
The
cold wilderness
is particularly
fragile
due to the
low energy
, leading to little
decomposition.
Svalbard has a
population
of
2700
people.
In Svalbard, buildings are
wooden
due to
permafrost.