glaciation

• Svalbard

  • Norwegian territory in the Arctic Ocean

  • 60% glaciers and 40% tundra

  • no arable farming and no trees

  • population approximately 3,000

  • the biggest town is Longyearbyen
• threats to Svalbard: coal mining

  • a norweign owned company employs about 1/3 of all workers in Svalbard

  • coal extraction opposed by environmentalists

  • however, coal supply’s the whole places energy and provides all the jobs
• threats to Svalbard: polar scientific research

  • Norway, Russia and Poland all operate permanent stations there

  • causes lots of environmental damage due to the infrastructure
• threats to Svalbard: tourism

  • in 2013, 70000 people visited Longyearbyen

  • causes stress to wildlife and the environment

  • environmental protection act put into place in 2002, 2/3 are now protected but nature reserves and national parks
• opportunities for development in Svalbard: mineral extraction 


  • the main economic activity

  • releases greenhouse gases
• opportunities for development in Svalbard: energy development

  • Longyearbyen power station provides all of Svalbards needs

  • environmentalists want it shut down
• opportunities for development in Svalbard: fishing

  • estimated 150 species of fish in their waters

  • one of the richest fish breeding grounds in the world

  • fishing is closely monitored and controlled
• challenges in Svalbard: extreme temperatures

  • call fall below -30°c or more

  • working in these conditions is very difficult
• challenges in Svalbard: construction

  • hard to work in those conditions

  • permafrosts provide stable foundations but can be dangerous if melted
• challenges in Svalbard: services

  • water pipes are overground to ensure they don’t freeze
• challenges in Svalbard: accessibility

  • remote access

  • snow mobiles are popular but not easy to use

  • roads are only by Longyearbyen
• Value of Svalbard

  • large tourist attraction

  • wildlife and polar bears

  • scientific research area

  • isolated area leads to lots of culture and traditions
• cold environments 


  • high latitude - polar

  • high altitude - alpine

  • periglacial / tundra
• Greenhouse earth 


  • warmer climates

  • no continental glaciers left
• Icehouse earth 


  • colder temperatures

  • huge ice sheets present
• ice ages are roughly every

  200 - 250 million years
• within periods there are epochs - smaller period of time
• we are currently in the quaternary period in the holocene epoch
• the quaternary period started about 2 million years ago, and is made up of the pleistocene and the holocene
• the pleistocene

  • the last ice age

  • 2 million years ago - 10000 years ago
• the holocene

  • the last 10000 years

  • an ice age without extensive ice
• short term changes

  • within periods, the climate fluctuates

  • short term colder periods are called stadials

  • short term warmer periods are called interstadials
• devensian is a period during the pleistocene from 115000 - 10000 years ago
• glacials periods leave evidence by altering the landscape and leaving landforms through erosion and deposition
• the devensian period had left the best evidence of glacial landforms
• the quaternary periods had a profound effect on the uk landscape

  • highlands of scotland

  • snowdonia

  • lake district
• glacier advance and

  erode
• glaciers retreat and

  deposit
• scientists think ice was at its maximum about 18,000 years ago
• during the devensian period the ice was at its maximum, reaching as far as the bristol channel and covering 30% of the earths surface
• today ice cover of the whole earth is

  10%
• homo sapiens

  • been around for about 120000

  • reached europe about 43000 years ago from Africa
• neanderthals

  • much better suited to ice conditions that homo sapiens

  • evolved in europe about 600,000 - 350,000 years ago

  • dies out about 30,000 years ago due to poor hunting practices
• what is the cryosphere

  parts of the earths crust and atmosphere that have temperatures below 0°c for part of the year
• the cryosphere consists of glaciers, ice sheets and permafrost
• what are the 2 largest land masses in the cryosphere ?

  Antarctica and Greenland
• what is the albedo effect ?

  when darker surfaces absorb more sunlight than lighter surfaces
• the albedo effect helps to regulate the earths temperature, as surfaces like snow reflect heat and keep cold areas colder
• climate change and the albedo effect

  as snow melts, it reveals the dark surfaces beneath it, therefore attracting more heat and the area melts quicker - negative feedback
• what do we use to classify glaciers ?

  shape, size and location