What is the thermohaline circulation?
Deep ocean currents that are driven by changes in temperature and salinity, helping to drive the global salinity belt and thus, ocean temperatures.
How many different indigenous groups are there in the Arctic?
40
What is the spiritual value of the Arctic?
Indigenous people have spiritual and cultural connection to fisheries/land.
How many people live in the Arctic?
400,000 with only 10% being indigenous groups.
Why would TNC’s value the Arctic?
Oil reserves, minerals and fossil fuels.
What are the 3 distinct ecosystems in the Arctic?
- Boreal forest
- Tundra
- Polar desert
What is the value of boreal forest?
Insects, carbon sink and climate regulation, habitat for endemic species, timber for building.
What is the value of the tundra?
Habitat for bird species, support food chains, keeps methane + carbon trapped in the ice (temperature regulation.)
What is the value of polar deserts?
Albedo effect, habitat for polar bears, ice sheets
Why are ‘carbon sinks’ important for climate regulation?
Trees in boreal forests lock away the greenhouse gas CO2 (and permafrost locks away methane as dead organic matter.) This reduces the amount of GHG released into the atmosphere, thus reducing the GH effect.
What are the main values of the Arctic?
- Cultural value
- Economic value
- Global value to planet (physical systems)
- Climatic value
What is the cultural value of the Arctic?
- Sammi + Inupiat indigenous groups in the Arctic have spiritual/cultural connection
- Indigenous groups rely on Arctic for food, hunting grounds, traditional practices, homes
- Eco-tourism helps to raise awareness and money which can be reinvested
What is the economic value of the Arctic?
- Fossil fuels reserves = global energy security for the future and lowered oil prices
- Value of commercial fisheries and Arctic cod (more value if climate change –> warmer water –> more fish migrate to Arctic fisheries)
- Raw value of resources e.g. timber
What is the global value of Arctic physical systems?
- High biodiversity e.g. lichens, mosses
- Breeding groups for endemic species
- Valuable areas for migration e.g. caribou
What is the climatic value of the Arctic?
- Albedo effect (ice reflects solar energy, keeping the Earth cool)
- Carbon sink
- Thermohaline circulation (colder water helps to act as ‘global refrigerator’)
How would you describe the Arctic?
Polar region, cold winters and cool summer, high winds, low temperatures, ice sheets shrinking
Name some animal species that live in the Arctic.
Arctic hare, caribou, snowy owl, polar bear, lemming, killer whales, narwhals
Name some plants that live in the Arctic.
Moss, sedges, shrubs, lichens, white spruce
What is the albedo effect?
A measure of reflectivity on a surface e.g. how much solar energy is reflected back into space from the Earth’s surfaces.
What seas surround the Arctic?
Bering Sea/Berent Sea connects it to the Pacific Ocean.
