Geography

• Cold Environments-Alaska


  There are Development Opportunities in Alaska
• Prior to 2015, 234 tons of gold was exported from Alaska
• In 2016, Alaska's fishing industry had a value of $2 billion and produced 300,000 tons of salmon, cod and crab
• Each year round Alaska's tourism brings in almost $2.5 billion and generates employment for about 1000 people
• Despite being one of the smallest states in the US, Alaska is the largest by land area
• Challenges to Development in Alaska

  • Difficult to access resources
  • Lack of education and poor infrastructure
• Extreme Temperature


  Prudhoe Bay's mean annual temperature is about -9°C and exposure to extreme cold, such as snow and strong winds, is common
• Daylight hours vary a lot - Utqiaġvik, north Alaska, is in darkness for up to 52 days in the winter but in the summer it might see 24 hours of uninterrupted daylight
• Inaccessibility


  • Alaska is a long way from the rest of the US
  • Some areas are extremely remote, and the mountainous terrain makes access difficult and expensive
  • In winter the only way to get to some towns is via expensive aircraft or dangerous ice roads
  • In summer, there are no roads to some towns because the ground is too soft
• The population of Alaska is small and scattered - people in small towns may be a long way from employment opportunities or services
• Buildings and Infrastructure


  • Providing buildings and infrastructure capable of withstanding either extreme cold or permafrost is difficult and expensive
  • Most construction work can only take place in summer, when the days are longer and temperatures are warmer
• The value of some resources means that people find ways to develop them despite the challenges, e.g. some parts of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline are raised on stilts to prevent it melting the permafrost, which would make the ground unstable
• Cold Environments


  Can be challenging - it's what you get when you combine a beautiful, frozen wilderness with some useful development opportunities
• Strategies are needed to address the challenges of cold environments, such as international agreements and conservation efforts
• The 1959 Antarctic Treaty, signed by 12 nations, prohibits nuclear explosions and the disposal of radioactive waste in Antarctica, and regulates the use of ships with onboard nuclear reactors
• Conservation efforts aim to protect the unique environments and wildlife found in cold regions, such as the Arctic and Antarctica