Polar Environments

• There are 2 polar ecosystems

  • arctic
  • Antarctica
• arctic

  climate:

  • summer less than 10˚C
  • winter -20 to -40˚

  land/sea:

  • mostly ocean with drifting pack ice and icebergs
  • treeless tundra

  flora:

  • low lying shrubs
  • lichen, moss, some flowering plants

  fauna:

  • whales, seals, fish, polar bears
• Antarctica

  climate:

  • colder than the arctic
  • summer -20 to -5˚C
  • winter -90˚

  features of sea/land:

  • land mass which is 99% covered with an ice sheet
  • sea freezes in winter, nearly doubling the size of it

  flora:

  • less vegetation
  • moss, lichen

  fauna:

  • wales, seals, penguins
  • all animals rely on the sea
• biodiversity is low in polar environments due to the cold, dry climate
• Ocean currents and winds open up gaps in the sea ice, which increases light levels in the water, meaning algae and other products can produce more food

  • increase of population for fish
  • Increases population of seals, penguins
• if temperatures increase, more sea ice melts in the summer, threatening polar bears and seals as they use the ice for hunting and breeding
• in the Antarctic there are very few plants

  • phytoplankton is the most important producer
  • phytoplankton depend on nutrient-rich currents of seawater rising to the surface from deep underwater
• the 6 human impacts on polar ecosystems

  • tourism
  • fishing
  • mineral extraction
  • indigenous people
  • scientific research
  • whaling
• tourism

  tourists travel there by boat and air travel, increasing pollution levels

  • boats can also cause oil spills

  tourists can disturb breeding colonies of birds and seals

  walking tramples fragile vegetation and erodes the landscape

  • litter and waste along paths damage habitats and harm wildlife
  • decomposition rates are slow due to cold
• Fishing

  Overfishing threatens species and they can go near extinction

  • reduced fish populations has a knock-on effect on other species in the food chain
  • Other sea animals can get caught in the nets
• indigenous people

  • nobody lives in Antarctica
  • population of arctic is 4 million

  traditional indigenous people rely on hunting, but only take what they need and dont affect the balance of the ecosystem

  many indigenous people now live in modern towns, impacting the environment through pollution from vehicles and heat from buildings, melting permafrost
• scientific research

  scientists use polar environments for research

  • positive impact on global environmental management

  in the past scientists have abandoned their broken equipment and dumped rubbish into the sea, damaging habitats

  research stations produce sewage pollution
• mineral extraction

  the arctic has large gas and oil reserves

  • drilling may cause oil spills which are difficult to clean up and can harm habitats and kill wildlife
  • pipelines can melt permafrost and interrupt migration routes of animals
• whaling

  many species of whale were nearly hunted to extinction

  • they are slow breeders so it takes a long time for populations to recover

  this has mostly stopped in polar areas