Management of Glaciated Landscapes (Edexcel A Level Geography): Flashcards
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Define wilderness quality in glaciated landscapes.
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Define wilderness quality in glaciated landscapes.
The degree to which a landscape is pristine, remote and untouched, with minimal human impact and strong natural, spiritual and aesthetic value.
Why is Antarctica seen as the pinnacle of wilderness?
It is almost entirely pristine, extremely remote, largely uninhabited, and has minimal direct human modification, giving it exceptionally high wilderness value.
Mount in the Himalayas is sacred and never climbed by Buddhists, Hindus and Jains.
Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is sacred and never climbed by Buddhists, Hindus and Jains.
True or False?
Cold environments are valuable as living laboratories for science.
True.
They allow study of genetic diversity, carbon storage, natural ecosystems and climate change indicators such as glacier retreat and permafrost thaw.
How do glaciers contribute to global freshwater supplies?
Around 75% of global freshwater is stored as glacial ice, with glacial valleys and lakes acting as natural water reservoirs for people and ecosystems.
Define carbon sink in periglacial areas.
An area, such as tundra peat or frozen soils, that absorbs and stores more carbon than it releases over long timescales.
Tundra peat gains carbon through decay and new organic matter in the short summer growing season.
Tundra peat gains carbon through anaerobic decay and new organic matter in the short summer growing season.
What is the albedo effect of glaciated regions?
High surface reflectivity from snow and ice reflects incoming insolation, helping maintain a heat deficit and regulating the global climate.
True or False?
Permafrost thaw can switch tundra from a carbon sink to a carbon source.
True.
Thawing permafrost increases microbial breakdown, releasing carbon dioxide and methane, which can create a net carbon loss and positive feedback to warming.
Define transhumance farming in glaciated uplands.
A seasonal movement of livestock to high mountain pastures in summer and back to lower valleys in winter to optimise grazing.
Countries such as and New Zealand obtain over 90% of their electricity from glacial-fed HEP.
Countries such as Norway and New Zealand obtain over 90% of their electricity from glacial-fed HEP.
Give two economic uses of glaciated landscapes.
They provide hydroelectric power, tourism, mineral resources, forestry and pastoral farming, supporting both local livelihoods and national economies.
True or False?
Mass tourism can make glaciated landscapes more fragile.
True.
High visitor numbers increase infrastructure, pollution and ecosystem disturbance, putting pressure on already sensitive glacial and periglacial environments.
Define fragile cold environment.
A fragile cold environment is a slow-changing ecosystem with specialised species, where disturbance causes long-lasting damage and slow or impossible recovery.
How does trampling degrade glaciated landscapes?
Trampling damages small leaves and stems, reducing photosynthesis and biomass, and compacts soil, causing poor structure, bare ground, and increased erosion.
Cold environments often have an albedo of up to , meaning they reflect most incoming insolation.
Cold environments often have an albedo of up to 90%, meaning they reflect most incoming insolation.
True or False?
Cold ecosystems recover quickly after human disturbance.
False.
Recovery in cold ecosystems is very slow due to short growing seasons, specialised species, and slow natural processes.
Define urbanisation in glaciated areas.
Urbanisation in glaciated areas is the growth of settlements and infrastructure, increasing pollution, habitat loss, and permafrost damage.
Why can reservoir construction threaten glaciated landscapes?
Reservoirs flood valleys, alter river regimes, and change sediment and water supplies downstream, disrupting ecosystems and hydrological systems.
Tourism in Antarctica brings about from ships and tourists, and introduces species.
Tourism in Antarctica brings about pollution from ships and tourists, and introduces non-native species.
True or False?
Tourism only affects cold environments locally, not globally.
False.
Tourism increases energy use, emissions, and landscape change, affecting both local ecosystems and the global climate system.
Define avalanche.
An avalanche is a rapid downslope movement of snow, often on slopes steeper than 22°, that can reach very high speeds and cause fatalities.
What is a glacial outburst flood (GOF)?
A GOF is a sudden, powerful flood from the rapid release of meltwater stored behind ice or moraine dams.
True or False?
Most avalanches occur on north-facing slopes due to unstable snow.
True.
North-facing slopes often have cold, unstable snowpacks that do not fully bind, increasing the risk of avalanche release.
Define mass balance of a glacier.
The mass balance is the difference between a glacier's accumulation (gain of snow/ice) and ablation (loss by melting, sublimation, calving) over time.
How is climate change affecting glacier mass balance in cold environments?
Climate change increases melting, causing many glaciers to shift to negative mass balance, retreating and thinning even where some still advance locally.
Melting in periglacial areas alters tundra and biodiversity.
Melting permafrost in periglacial areas alters tundra ecosystems and biodiversity.
Explain how shrinking glaciers affect water supply for mountain communities.
As glaciers shrink, meltwater first increases then declines, reducing long-term water supply for downstream communities that rely on glacial runoff.
True or False?
Climate-driven glacier retreat can disrupt HEP dams and increase flood risk.
True.
Higher meltwater peaks raise flood risk, while long-term reduced flows lower HEP efficiency and can make some schemes unviable.
Lower meltwater velocities reduce removal of , causing lower .
Lower meltwater velocities reduce removal of pollutants, causing lower water quality.
Define environmental sensitivity in cold environments.
Environmental sensitivity is the vulnerability of cold environments to damage and slow recovery, requiring strict protection and careful management.
Why is mandatory legislation often more effective than voluntary agreements in conserving cold landscapes?
Mandatory legislation can be enforced and policed, making compliance compulsory, whereas voluntary agreements rely on goodwill and are easier to ignore.
True or False?
The Antarctic Treaty System allows mineral resource exploitation under strict controls.
False.
The Antarctic Treaty System and its protocols ban mineral resource exploitation, freezing sovereignty claims and prioritising scientific research and environmental protection.
The Antarctic Treaty System reduces threats by stopping , freezing sovereignty claims, and managing .
The Antarctic Treaty System reduces threats by stopping resource exploitation, freezing sovereignty claims, and managing tourism.
Define Alpine Convention.
An international treaty between Alpine states and the EU to ensure sustainable development and protection of the Alps across sectors like tourism, farming and transport.
In Finland, allow public access, while some require permits only.
In Finland, National Parks allow public access, while some Nature Reserves require permits only.
What is the main aim of CITES 1973 in cold environments?
CITES 1973 aims to regulate international trade in endangered species, helping protect Arctic animals like polar bears and walruses from over-exploitation.
Define context risk in relation to climate warming.
A context risk is a risk whose level changes with circumstances, making climate-warming impacts on glaciated landscapes variable and complex to manage.
Name two present impacts of global warming on glaciated landscapes.
Present impacts include accelerated global glacial retreat and sea-level rise from melting glaciers and ice sheets such as Greenland and Antarctica.
True or False?
Mitigation strategies focus on coping with climate impacts rather than reducing emissions.
False.
Mitigation aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or enhance sinks, while adaptation focuses on coping with unavoidable climate impacts.
By 2050, the Arctic is expected to be in summer, and many ski resorts below 1500m will face .
By 2050, the Arctic is expected to be ice free in summer, and many ski resorts below 1500m will face reduced snowfall.
Define sustainable management of cold environments.
Sustainable management uses resources for local benefit without long-term environmental damage, often balancing indigenous needs, conservation and economic activities like mining.
How does comprehensive conservation differ from total protection?
Comprehensive conservation allows limited, regulated use like ecotourism, whereas total protection bans almost all access, except for scientific research and monitoring.
True or False?
"Do nothing" management strongly limits economic exploitation in cold environments.
False.
"Do nothing" management allows multiple economic uses and exploitation, often prioritising profit and jobs over environmental protection.
In managing glacial landscapes, lobby governments, while pass national laws and provide funding.
In managing glacial landscapes, conservationists lobby governments, while national governments pass national laws and provide funding.
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